Remembering Her Comes In Flashbacks and Echoes
by awriterofthings
Summary: Beca and Chloe met at summer camp and were the best of friends while there. They end up losing touch and meeting up again twelve years later when Beca, now a music producer, has to help Chloe, who is now a famous singer, work on her new album.
1. Chapter 1

**Remembering Her Comes In Flashbacks and Echoes**

_Summer 2000..._

_ Thirteen year old, Chloe Beale entered the room that she shared with several other girls at the summer camp she was attending and glanced around the room with a frown. When she spotted what she was looking for sitting on one of the top bunks with headphone over her ears, she made her way over to the bunk bed and climbed the small ladder. Chloe crawled onto the bed catching the attention of Beca Mitchell who had been listening to her music player and writing in a small notebook. _

_ Chloe smiled at the girl who she really didn't know at all. Summer camp had started three days ago and Chloe had yet to get more than a one word response or a shrug from her bunkmate. _

_ Beca furrowed her brows at her redheaded intruder and quickly closed her notebook before removing her headphones.. "What are you doing?"_

_ "I've been trying to get you to hangout with me for three days and you won't," Chloe stated as she got comfortable next to Beca._

_ "I don't want to gossip about boys or do my nails or whatever it is you do," Beca stated._

_ "Then it's a good thing I don't want to do those things." Chloe gestured to the notebook Beca was obviously guarding. "What were you writing?" _

_ "Nothing." Beca tightened her hold on the notebook. "I don't want to hangout so you can go."_

_ "You have to come out and do the activities they have planned for us and you're stuck here for six weeks. You might as well have a friend to make it all bearable."_

_ Beca frowned, thinking maybe Chloe was playing a prank on her and she and the other girls would have a laugh about it later.. "Why do you want to be my friend?"_

_ "You keep to yourself too much," Chloe pointed out. "I'm curious about you." Beca stayed silent so Chloe continued speaking. "What were you listening to?" Beca remained quiet and Chloe sighed at the brunette's stubbornness. She reached for the headphones and placed them over her ears, ignoring Beca's protest. She then picked up the music player and hit play. _

_ Chloe's eyes widened happily when she heard Lifehouse's 'Hanging By a Momen't pouring from the headphones. She began to sing along and a ghost of a smile appeared on Beca's lips at the redhead's actions. _

_ Chloe moved the headphones so that they were dangling around her neck. "I didn't see you as a Lifehouse girl. You seem more like a Linkin Park kinda girl."_

_ "I'm full of surprises," Beca muttered as she gestured towards her headphones. "Can I have those back?"_

_ "If you agree to start hanging out with me," Chloe said, leaving no room for argument. _

_ Beca rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, sure." _

_ Chloe shook her head and held out her hand. "Pinky swear."_

_ Beca quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not five."_

_ "Thanks for the headphones." Chloe began to move off the bed. _

_ Beca let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. We'll hangout."_

_ Chloe held her pinky out to Beca and the brunette reluctantly brought hers up to join with the redhead's. _

_ "Awesome!" Chloe said, happily. She removed the headphones and handed them back to Beca. "Come on."_

_ "Where are we going?" Beca asked. _

_ "I discovered something yesterday. I want to show it to you." Chloe climbed down from the bed. "Well, come on," she said when she saw that Beca wasn't moving. _

_ Beca got off of the bed and tucked her notebook into the back pocket of her jeans. "Where are we going?" She asked, curiously. _

_ "You'll find out when we get there," Chloe said._

_ Beca didn't know what she was in for by being friends with Chloe but she'd be lying if she said that the redhead didn't pique her interest. At least maybe now spending six weeks at the camp would be slightly more entertaining. _

* * *

_Six weeks later..._

_ Chloe approached the lake she had discovered a little ways from camp and smiled when she spotted Beca leaning against a tree as she looked at the water. "Figured I'd find you here."_

_ Beca turned her head and smiled a greeting at the girl who had become her best friend over the past six weeks. If she was being honest with herself, it was something more than friendship but she wasn't ready to delve into those emotions right now... or maybe ever. _

_ Chloe sat down next to Beca and linked their arms together before resting her head against the brunette's shoulder. _

_ "And there you go forgetting what personal space is." Beca always made a big deal out of Chloe being in her space but she didn't really mind anymore. _

_ "You should be used to it by now. So what are you doing out here. Shouldn't you be saying bye to everyone?"_

_ "I don't care about anyone here," Beca said. "... just you."_

_ Chloe's smile widened and she tightened her arm around Beca's. "I'm going to miss you." When Beca didn't say anything, Chloe looked over at the brunette and saw that tears were making their way down her cheeks. "Hey." Chloe moved from beside Beca so that she was sitting in front of her. She wiped the tears away from the brunette's face. "What's wrong?"_

_ "I like being here with you. I mean.." Beca sighed, running a hand through her hair. "You're different than anyone I've ever met. Being here with you has let me forget about everything I have going on at home."_

_ Chloe knew Beca was talking about her parents. They had sent their daughter off to camp so that they could work on their relationship and she knew the brunette had been worried about what she'd be going back to. "It'll be okay." Chloe took Beca's hand into hers. "We'll call each other and email. You're my best friend, Beca. We won't lose touch."_

_ Beca smiled at hearing that she was Chloe's best friend. "You're my best friend too."_

_ Chloe leaned forward and placed a kiss on Beca's cheek, which caught the brunette off guard. Chloe smiled at Beca's wide eyed expression. "We have to promise to keep in touch." She held up her pinky, laughing when Beca rolled her eyes. "Come on. You know how this works." Beca smiled as she placed her pinky to Chloe's, setting their promise in stone._

* * *

Twelve years later...

Beca entered the music studio that she had been working at for the past four months and was just about to sit down so she could get to work when she heard a knock at the door. She turned around and saw her boss, Luke Kincaid.

"Hey, how's your workload?" Luke asked.

"Nonexistent because you haven't given me any projects to work on," Beca stated, annoyed. "I've just been working on laying down a drum pattern for-,"

"Great," Luke cut her off. "I've been trying to keep it like that because I want all of your focus to be on our new artist."

Beca looked interested by this information. "We have a new artist?"

"Well, she's not new but she dropped her old label and is coming to work with us," Luke said, pleased that he had managed to get the woman to sign with Kincaid Records.

Beca raised an eyebrow. "Well who is it?"

Luke smiled. "Chloe Beale." Beca froze and stared at the man with a look he couldn't decipher. "What? What's wrong?"

Beca shook her head. "I don't... I can't work with her."

Luke folded his arms across his chest. "Why the hell not?"

"I just can't, Luke," Beca said. "Did you tell her I would be helping her with her new album?"

"Yeah," Luke replied, confused by Beca's reaction to the news. She loved working with talented people and Chloe Beale was an insanely talented woman.

"And what was her reaction?" Beca asked, curiously.

Luke shrugged. "She knows your work. She seemed happy by the news. What's the big deal?"

Beca ran a hand through her hair. "Can't someone else do it? Amy can-,"

"Amy's working on a few hip-hop tracks. Besides, I want it to be you. You two will mesh well together. You don't have a choice in this, Beca." Luke pointed at the brunette. "You're working with her. She'll be here tomorrow so go home, listen to her old albums so you know her style and show up with a smile tomorrow."

Before Beca could further protest, Luke was gone. Grabbing her cell phone from her pocket, Beca quickly dialed her best friend's number. "Hey, Jesse, can we meet up for coffee or something?" Beca needed to know how to deal with this situation before she was face to face with the person who had broken her heart so many years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Jesse was sitting with Beca in a cafe taking in everything she had just told him. "You knew Chloe Beale as a kid? That is awesome!"

Beca rolled her eyes at how Jesse had so obviously missed the point. "She was my best friend and after a month away from camp, she just disappeared from my life. I can't work with her."

Jesse laughed, thinking Beca was being ridiculous. "That's how those summer camps work. You make a friend and once camp is over you go your separate ways. Nothing comes of it."

Beca shook her head, upset that Jesse wasn't taking her seriously about this. "Just forget I brought it up." Beca sipped her drink, wondering if maybe she was overreacting.

Jesse could tell that Beca was irritated with him and instantly felt bad. "I'm sorry. We can talk about it."

"No, I don't want to anymore. I just thought you'd understand. I don't need you making fun of me." Beca stood up from the table. "I need to get home and clear my head."

Jesse sighed and gestured to Beca's vacant seat. "Come on, sit back down. We can talk. I want to hear about this."

"So you can be an ass?" Beca asked. "I'll pass."

"I'm sorry," Jesse said, sincerely. "I'm a jerk. Please sit back down. Tell me about Chloe and summer camp. I want to hear everything."

"We can talk more about it at my place." Beca wanted to be in the comfort of her home when she talked about Chloe. She hadn't spoken to anyone about the redhead before. She mentioned liking a song here and there when prompted but she had never brought the woman up on her own accord. Now that she was thinking about it, she'd probably need a drink. Having Chloe shoved into her life really wasn't something she was prepared to deal with.

* * *

Beca sat down on her couch across from Jesse and sipped her beer. She was silent for a moment before speaking. "She really was my best friend... and I thought I was hers too."

"Why didn't you ever bring up that you knew her before?" Jesse queried.

Beca sighed. "It's not exactly something I like talking about. I just need to get it all out now before I see her."

Jesse nodded. "I'm all ears. I have all day. Take your time."

Beca smiled, thanking Jesse for listening. "Chloe showed me what it was to have someone care."

* * *

_Beca was sitting in what Chloe had deemed to be their "spot" as she listened to music and wrote in her small notebook. She had been lost in her own little world when she felt a warmth beside her causing her to pull her eyes away from what she was doing. She offered Chloe a smile once their eyes met but she could tell the brunette wasn't buying the facade. _

_ Chloe studied Beca's features, taking in the way the brunette's smile didn't quite reach her eyes and noticing the way her dark blue eyes held a hint of sadness. "What happened?"_

_ Beca's smile faltered. "Nothing. Why?" _

_ "You disappeared without a word. You usually tell me when you're coming here and I'm always with you. So what's wrong?"_

_ Beca tapped the pen she had been holding against her still open notebook. She didn't realize it but she hadn't closed the notebook upon Chloe's arrival. Maybe, subconsciously, she was ready to open up to the redhead in a way she hadn't with anyone before._

_ Chloe could tell that Beca was trying to think of what to tell her but she wasn't having any of it. She placed her hand on top of Beca's, stilling the girl's hand. "The truth, please."_

_ The contact instantly put Beca at ease and she decided to reveal to Chloe what the issue was, hoping the redhead didn't blow things out of proportion._

_ "Allison," Beca said, simply._

_ Chloe knew by that simple utterance that whatever had happened was pretty bad. Allison was everything Chloe disliked in people. She put down others to make herself feel good. "What did she do?" _

_ Beca was thrown by the anger in Chloe's usually upbeat demeanor. "She got a hold of my notebook and read it to her friends. She tore some of the pages out and said she's keeping them until the end of camp. Until then I have to do all her camp chores."_

_ Chloe frowned at hearing this. She definitely needed to have a word with Allison. "You don't sound upset."_

_ "I am. I'm used to stuff like this." Beca wasn't good at making friends and she kept to herself most of the time. People didn't know what to make of her so they usually treated her poorly._

_ Chloe shook her head. "You shouldn't be used to it. You're a good person, Beca. You don't deserve to be mistreated." _

_ "Don't worry about it, Chloe." The last thing she wanted was for Chloe to confront Allison and find out what the pieces of paper contained. _

_ Chloe sighed, letting it go for now. She gestured to the notebook that still rested open on Beca's lap. "Are you ever going to tell me what you write in there?"_

_ Beca picked up her notebook and hesitated for a moment before handing it to Chloe._

_ Chloe was surprised by the action. "You don't have to show me."_

_ Beca placed the notebook in Chloe's hand. "It's okay. Go ahead."_

_ Chloe smiled and flipped to the beginning of the notebook. "Lyrics," she stated softly as her eyes moved over the compelling words that flowed so easily together. "Do you have music for these?"_

_ "In my head mostly," Beca answered as she fussed with the hem of her shirt out of nervousness. "If I like them enough, I add music to them with my guitar or piano."_

_ Chloe looked at Beca with intrigue. "Guitar and piano? Why didn't I know you play those?"_

_ Beca shrugged. "Never came up."_

_ Chloe looked back at the notebook and it only took seconds for her to get lost in the pages. Beca stayed silent, happily watching the expressions pass over the redhead's face as she read._

_ Moments later, Chloe handed the notebook back. "You're really talented, Beca. You could be a songwriter."_

_ Beca shook her head. "My words are for me."_

_ Chloe felt even more honored that Beca had shared the contents of the notebook with her. "Then why'd you let me see them?"_

_ Beca looked into Chloe's questioning gaze to offer up an answer but she didn't have one. "I don't know." _

_ "Well thank you for sharing it with me." Chloe stood up and dusted off her jeans. "Come on. We better get back. Hopefully no one's noticed that we're gone." Chloe held out her hand for Beca._

_ Beca allowed Chloe to help her up and was more than surprised when the redhead began to walk back towards camp without releasing her hand. _

* * *

_ Beca was sitting in the cafeteria eating the next day when Chloe sat down across from her, placing folded pieces of paper in front of her. Beca picked up the papers and quickly realized that they were from her notebook._

_ "I didn't read them," Chloe said before eating a fry from Beca's tray. _

_ Beca believed her. Chloe wasn't a liar. If there was anything she was sure about when it came to the redhead, it was that. "How'd you get these back?"_

_ "I just asked Allison for them," Chloe said, stealing another fry._

_ Beca noticed Allison heading their way and worried that she might be targeting Chloe instead of her this time around._

_ "Beca," Allison said when she reached the table. "I'm sorry for taking your notebook. It was childish of me."_

_ Chloe raised her eyebrows at the girl as if to tell her she was forgetting something._

_ "And don't worry about my chores. I can do them myself."_

_ Chloe tilted her head as she stared hard at Allison._

_ "And your chores, too. I can do those."_

_ "I can do my own chores," Beca told her._

_ "Bye, Allison." Chloe waved the girl off and looked at Beca. "Are you done eating? I want to go back to the bunk and listen to music."_

_ Beca sat in confusion over what had just happened. She looked at the redhead knowing she had something to do with it. "How'd you manage to get her to do that?"_

_ "I didn't get her to do anything," Chloe said, nonchalantly. "Come on. Music is calling our names."_

_ Beca stood, letting Chloe keep her secret about what she had done to get Allison to apologize. She shoved the folded pieces of paper into her pocket and left the cafeteria with Chloe. _

* * *

Beca looked at Jesse who had been listening intently. "I think that day I fell in love with her... but I didn't really know what that feeling was back then so all it really did was confuse me."

"Did you ever tell her?" Jesse asked.

Beca let out a humorless laugh. "Definitely not. My feelings freaked me out. I'm sure they would've done the same to her." Beca downed the rest of her beer. "Seeing her face to face for the first time in twelve years is going to be surreal."

"Maybe she has a really good reason for why she lost contact with you," Jesse said.

"I'd love to hear that reason." Beca got up to grab another beer, dreading her meeting with Chloe tomorrow.

* * *

"This is so exciting." Aubrey Posen, Chloe's best friend, was sitting with Chloe in her bedroom.

Chloe turned her head away from her closet to look at her best friend. "It really is. Working with Beca Mitchell is like a dream come true. She's seriously talented."

"Are you nervous at all?" Aubrey asked. "You know she's never worked on an entire album before. You'll be her first."

Chloe picked out a dress and laid it on her bed next to the other outfit she had chosen. "No, I'm not nervous. She's a genius," she said, referring to the up and coming music producer. "She produced Cynthia Rose's first single and it was number one for almost six weeks."

"Didn't she work with Stacie on _Action_?" Aubrey asked about the pop singer's most recent single.

"She did." Chloe nodded. "And let's not forget all those mixes she makes. I'm telling you, she's a musical genius." The redhead looked the two outfits on her bed over before glancing at her best friend. "Which one?"

"The jeans. You're going to discuss your album not your chances of getting her into bed. God, you have such a toner for this chick," Aubrey said, amused.

Chloe grinned at her best friend's words. "I can't deny that." Chloe grabbed the outfit that the blonde had approved of and hung it back in her closet to retrieve tomorrow. "Now you need to help me pick out my shoes." Chloe knew her crush on Beca Mitchell was ridiculous. She had never met her in person before and the thought of finally getting to meet her was making her giddy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Beca was walking towards the elevator to head to her part of the studio when she saw Chloe Beale standing at the elevator with Luke. She wasn't ready for this. How was she even supposed to act? Deciding she needed to avoid this situation for as long as she could, Beca headed towards the stairs, but having the luck that she did, she heard Luke call her name. Sighing, Beca turned around and reluctantly made her way towards Luke and Chloe. Once she was in front of them, she wasn't sure what to say so she just stood there until Luke took the lead.

"Beca," Luke began. "This is Chloe Beale. Chloe meet Beca Mitchell."

Chloe held out her hand with the same smile and confidence Beca had remembered being met with twelve years ago. "I absolutely love everything you do. I'm excited to have you working on my new album with me."

Beca smiled, fighting a frown from appearing as she shook Chloe's hand. Was this how Chloe was playing it? She was going to pretend that she had no idea who she was? Well she could do the same. "Thank you."

The elevator door opened and the three got on. Beca felt like she was suffocating in Chloe's presence and really just wanted to get away from the woman. What had she done to deserve being "forgotten"?

The doors opened once they reached the correct floor and Beca stepped out with Chloe. When Luke didn't join them, she furrowed her brows. "What are you doing?"

"You've been introduced," Luke stated. "I'll leave you two to it."

Beca watched the elevator doors close and for once wished Luke would've stayed. She had a feeling things were about to get really awkward without him as a buffer.

"The mash-up you made with _Titanium _was absolutely flawless," Chloe said. "I heard it the other day on the radio and was blown away."

Beca simply stared at Chloe not knowing what to do because seriously, how could the redhead pretend that she had no idea who she was?

Chloe rolled her eyes at herself. "I'm sorry. I'm fan-girling. Meeting you is just really awesome."

_Ohmygod. _Beca was hit with the sudden realization that maybe Chloe really had no idea who she was. But how could she not? They were best friends. They promised to keep in touch. How could the redhead forget her? Beca's mind was reeling and now she _really _needed to get away. "Um, it's fine," she said, quickly. "I just remembered that I have to do something. Can you wait for me in the studio?"

Concern took over Chloe's features. "Are you okay?"

Beca nodded. "I won't be long." She opted for the stairs instead of the elevator. She wanted to get away from Chloe as quickly as possible. She made her way to the floor that contained her best friend and found him in a studio with Amy.

"Hey," Amy greeted her. "I thought you were meeting with Chloe Beale today."

"I am," Beca said. "She's waiting for me. I just need to talk to Jesse real quick."

Amy didn't move and then she realized that Beca was giving her that "please leave" look. "Ohhh, you want me to give you privacy. That's cool," Amy stood up. "I can respect that." She looked at Jesse. "We'll talk about finding you a cool rap name later." She exited the studio and closed the door.

Beca waited a beat before opening the door to find Amy still there.

"I was just admiring this door," Amy said. "It looks very... sturdy."

Beca couldn't help but smile at how ridiculous the blonde could be. "Goodbye, Amy."

Amy saluted and walked off, leaving Beca and Jesse to discuss whatever Beca needed to talk about in private.

"What's going on?" Jesse asked, already knowing it probably had something to do with Chloe.

"She doesn't remember me." Beca closed the studio door again and sat down in the chair next to Jesse. "She legitimately has no idea who I am."

Jesse could tell that Beca's mind was working on a hardcore level of intensity and wondered how she was actually going to make it through working with Chloe. "Are you sure?"

"Not one hundred percent sure but she's acting like she doesn't know me, Jesse," Beca said. "And it's not like she's being a bitch about it. She's super nice and she's complimenting me and my music. She... she just doesn't remember me. What am I supposed to do?"

"You could remind her," Jesse offered.

Beca shook her head. "I can't do that. What am I supposed to say? Hey, we were best friends in summer camp and you said we'd keep in touch but you disappeared on me? I can't bring it up." Beca ran a hand through her hair and let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't believe she has no idea who I am."

"You know, you were only in the camp for what? A month, and you talked for a month after that? You didn't know each other long."

Beca knew exactly where Jesse was going with this and grew frustrated with her best friend. "It doesn't matter that we only knew each other for two months, Jesse. We had a bond that I thought meant something to her."

* * *

_Beca arrived at her and Chloe's spot and found the redhead sitting with legs pulled up so that her chin was resting on her knees. Beca's heart ached at how low in spirits Chloe seemed to be. She moved over to her and sat down. "I guess it was my turn to have to hunt you down. What's going on? You've been quiet all day."_

_ "I got a letter from my brother today. He's moving out." Chloe picked up the letter that was on the ground beside her and handed it to Beca. _

_ Beca took the letter from the redhead and scanned over it. Apparently Chloe's brother was having a hard time getting along with their parents and at nineteen was deciding to move out to live on his own. Beca set the letter down and placed an arm around Chloe's shoulder. "He says he'll visit a lot."_

_ Chloe let her legs stretch out in front of her and she wiped the tears that had managed to spill from her eyes. "I know. It just won't be the same." _

_ Beca knew that Chloe's parents were strict and expected the most out of their children. Chloe's future had already been planned out for her and though Chloe seemed annoyed by the idea of a mapped out future, she had gone along with her parents' wishes in order to keep the peace. Chloe's brother was more of the wild child. He didn't go along with much of anything and he definitely wasn't letting his parents tell him how to live. _

_ "I know." Beca wiped the tears from Chloe's eyes and the redhead placed her head on Beca's shoulder. Beca wasn't good at consoling. She wasn't even comfortable with people trying to comfort her up until she had met Chloe. "I'm really bad at this," she admitted. _

_ Chloe smiled a bit and reached for Beca's free hand that wasn't around her shoulders. She squeezed the hand reassuringly. "You're better at it than you think. Sing me something?"_

_ Beca opened her mouth to protest but then decided against it. Chloe was sad and wanted her to sing. There was no way she could deny the redhead. "What makes you think I can sing?" She asked to buy time as she thought of a song. _

_ "You play instruments and you write lyrics. I'm pretty certain you can sing. Now wow me."_

_ Beca let out a light laugh, feeling nervous but wanting to make Chloe happy. Taking a deep breath, she began to sing Warm Whispers _by _Missy Higgins. She smiled as Chloe linked their fingers together in a silent "thank you" for the brunette being there with her. _

* * *

Beca stood up from where she was and gestured to the door. "I guess I should head back."

Jesse felt horrible for Beca and wasn't sure how well she'd deal with being around Chloe with all the feelings that she had. "Are you going to be okay with that?"

"I'll have to be," Beca said.

"I really think you should tell her," Jesse insisted.

Beca shook her head. "We'll work on her album and she'll be gone from my life again.

Jesse gave Beca a sympathetic look. "Beca your goal is to create an amazing album with Chloe, right?"

Beca frowned at the question. "Yeah, so?"

"Well if you don't plan on half-assing it, then you'll be with Chloe for at least a year," Jesse pointed out. "You should tell her who you are."

Beca knew Jesse was right on the length of time she'd be spending with Chloe but there was no way she'd be telling her who she was. "I'll see you later. Thanks for listening."

"It's what I'm here for."

Beca made her way back to the studio where Chloe was waiting for her, hoping that she could at least get through their first working experience without much awkwardness. Beca took a deep breath as she neared the door. If she just focused on work and nothing else, this wouldn't be bad... right?

Chloe turned her head as she heard the door open and smiled as she put her cell phone away. "Everything okay?"

Beca nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that." She sat down next to Chloe. "Ready to discuss your album?"

The two launched into a conversation about music and what Chloe was hoping for in her third record. Beca was surprised at first at how easily the conversation flowed between them but then she remembered this was Chloe Beale, the girl who had gotten her to hangout with her at the start of summer camp.

* * *

Hours later, Beca and Chloe finally emerged from the studio for the first time since they had begun talking about Chloe's record. They were both starving and decided to be done for the day. They had gotten more done then Beca thought they would for their first meeting. She understood what Chloe was envisioning for her record and was fully prepared to make it something that they could both be proud of.

Chloe pressed the down button on the elevator and looked at Beca. "Do you want to grab something to eat together?" She had been enjoying Beca's company and wasn't ready to depart from the brunette. There was something about her that had Chloe intrigued, but she couldn't place her finger on it. Aubrey would probably say it was the huge toner she had for the music producer but there was definitely something else there.

Beca had to admit talking to Chloe earlier about work hadn't been as bad as she was expecting, but that was all work-related. The conversation never strayed from music. She definitely wouldn't be able to handle eating lunch with Chloe and keeping her sanity intact. "I can't. I, um, have other things to do."

"Oh, that's fine. I totally understand. Maybe some other time?"

"Yeah, another time, sure."

The elevator doors opened and Chloe stepped on, quirking an eyebrow when Beca didn't join her.

"You go ahead. I have..."

"Things?" Chloe finished for her. She placed her arm against the elevator doors so that they wouldn't close.

Beca nodded. "Exactly."

"Okay, well... it was nice meeting you. Today was really great. I already know this album is going to be my best. And again, fan-girling, but you're just as amazing as I thought you'd be."

Beca smiled at the sincerity in Chloe's voice. "Thanks. See you tomorrow."

Chloe moved her hand from the door, letting the elevator close. She thought things had gone pretty well and she couldn't wait to get to know Beca... if the brunette let her. She had a feeling getting Beca to open up would be somewhat of a challenge.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Chloe exited her car and entered the swanky restaurant where she was meeting Aubrey. She threw a few smiles and waves to the fans that noticed her, but rushed inside before she could be bombarded for autographs. Once inside, she was shown to the table where her best friend sat waiting.

"Hey." Chloe sat down across from Aubrey. "Sorry, I'm late."

Aubrey waved the apology off. "It's fine. I ordered your usual." She pushed a glass of water towards the woman.

Chloe smiled her thanks and set her purse down beside her. "How was your day?"

"Forget my ordinary human life," Aubrey grinned. "How was your meeting with Beca?"

Chloe laughed and sipped her water before responding. "I love hearing about your life. It keeps me grounded."

"Don't worry. If you let fame get to your head, I'll be the first to knock some sense into you. Now how was it?"

Chloe smiled. "She's so great, Bree. She had great ideas and she was really feeling the direction I wanted to take this new album. I'm so glad I decided to leave my old record label."

Aubrey chuckled at how excited Chloe was getting. "I can't tell if you're really excited about your album or just at the thought of being able to spend months with your obsession."

Chloe pouted. "Don't call it an obsession. It's... admiration. Seriously though, she's great. I'm hoping to be able to spend time with her outside of the studio." Chloe's phone rang and she saw that it was her mother. She let the phone go to voicemail and then cut it off. "Sorry, that was my mom."

The topic of Chloe's parents was something Chloe kept out of the media but Aubrey knew she didn't have a strong relationship with them. They had recently started trying to mend things with the redhead but as forgiving as the woman was, trying to rebuild her relationship with her parents was proving to be difficult.

Chloe's parents had not approved many years ago when Chloe had told them that she liked a girl. They had trashed everything having to do with the girl and taken away Chloe's computer and phone. To make matters worse, they had even put the girl into a private school amongst other things to "make" her straight. Chloe ended up falling into the life they wanted for her, feeling ashamed by the feelings she had had for her friend.

Aubrey and Chloe had met as juniors at the private school and had become fast friends. Senior year when Chloe had broken down in front of Aubrey because her parents were questioning her relationship with her best friend, Aubrey learned of the Beales' past actions. Chloe couldn't tell her anything outside of her parents flipping out. She couldn't recall the girl at all and years later when she finally attended therapy, it was learned that she suffered from repressed memory syndrome. Therapy didn't help Chloe retrieve her memories so she had let it go and moved on with her life.

"She'll leave a voicemail if it's important," Chloe stated.

"Since we're on the topic," Aubrey began.

Chloe frowned, not wanting to discuss her parents when she was supposed to be enjoying a night out with her best friend. "We're not on the topic."

"Fine. Moving on," Aubrey sighed before launching into a different topic to appease her best friend.

* * *

Three days of working together and Chloe still hadn't been able to get Beca to stray from the topic of music. She really wanted to get to know the music producer and wondered what it would take to get her to open up to her. Chloe placed down the pen she was using to write lyrics and looked at Beca who was tapping out a beat with her fingers on the table.

Beca noticed Chloe watching her and she stilled her fingers. "Sorry, I was just thinking up a tempo."

Chloe smiled. "It's fine. I was thinking we could take a break."

"Oh... okay." Beca didn't like taking breaks. Breaks with Chloe meant the redhead would try to get her to share things she didn't want to share and tempt her to hangout outside of the studio.

"What do you do for fun?" Chloe asked.

Beca shrugged. "Music is my life."

Chloe smiled at the passion the brunette had for music. It was seriously unmatched. "Well we should do something together. I'm not picky. We could watch a movie."

"I don't like movies." Beca responded, hoping Chloe would drop the subject.

Chloe's smile didn't falter. "Then we can listen to music and talk."

"You're persistent." Beca wasn't sure why Chloe was into her. She was nothing special but the redhead had an obvious crush on her. If things had been different and they didn't share the past that Chloe had forgotten, then Beca would've been more open to the idea of spending time with her. Things weren't different, though and being around Chloe hurt.

"I really want to get to know you better. Why won't you let me?" Chloe asked.

"I just..." Beca let out a sigh. "Why do you even want to be my friend?"

* * *

_Chloe spotted Beca walking towards their bunk and stepped into the brunette's path. This action caused the brunette to scowl. "What are you doing?"_

_ "Let's hangout tonight," Chloe said quietly so no one else would hear. "I want to stargaze."_

_ "If we're going to sneak out past curfew, can't it be for something more exciting?"_

_ Chloe rolled her eyes. "Don't be like that. It'll be fun."_

_ Beca shook her head. "No thanks."_

_ Chloe folded her arms across her chest. "You said we'd be friends. You pinky swore."_

_ "That doesn't mean I have to do whatever you want," Beca pointed out._

_ Chloe's face fell into a pout. "You're right. Sorry." Chloe began to walk away and Beca rolled her eyes at how easy it was for her to give in to Chloe._

_ Beca ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, I guess I can stargaze or whatever."_

_ Chloe's pout remained on her face. "You don't have to feel pressured, Beca. Don't worry about it."_

_ "Wait." Beca stopped Chloe from walking away. "I'm sorry. I kind of suck with people if you haven't noticed that already. We can stargaze." _

_ Chloe smiled. "If you're sure."_

_ "I'm sure."_

_ "Awesome." Another one of Chloe's friends called for her and the redhead acknowledged them before looking back at Beca. "I'll see you at lunch."_

_ Beca watched Chloe walk off, wondering what it was about the redhead that made her want to make her happy. _

* * *

_ Chloe and Beca were lying on the grass staring up at the stars. They had been quiet for awhile until Chloe broke the silence._

_ Chloe turned her head to look at Beca. "You can tell me if you're bored."_

_ Beca continued to look up at the sky. "I'm not bored." _

_ Chloe smiled, pleased. She thought the brunette would've made more of a fuss about being out here._

_ "Chloe?"_

_ "Hm?"_

_ "Why do you want to be my friend?" Beca didn't know why it mattered but it was something she couldn't wrap her mind around._

_ Chloe smiled. "We've had this discussion. Is it so hard to believe that you're great company?"_

_ "That's the last thing I am."_

_ "You don't give yourself enough credit. I like your sarcasm. It doesn't push me away like it does others. I like how much you love music. It's cute how you can ramble on about it. I just... I like being around you. Is that okay?"_

_ "Um, yeah... I guess."_

_ Chloe laughed lightly. "Okay, good."_

_ The two continued to look at the stars and have idle conversation. Beca wouldn't admit it but she was enjoying herself. She had a feeling she could enjoy a trip to the dentist as long as Chloe was with her._

* * *

Chloe frowned feeling like this was deja vu. Shaking her head as if it would clear her thoughts, she let her mind focus on Beca's question. "I just want to get to know you better. Is that okay?" Chloe couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity in their conversation.

Beca's mind was also racing. She remembered the night they stargazed together. She remembered everything and Chloe had so easily forgotten about her. Thinking about it just made Beca even more upset so no, it wasn't okay. "I'm not interested in being your friend. We focus on music and that's it, okay?" Beca had to admit her words came out harsher than she meant for them to but she couldn't bring herself to care right now. "Let's just call it a day. We got a lot done." Beca stood up, not making eye contact with Chloe.

Chloe was confused by Beca's behavior and wasn't sure what to say because she didn't even know what she had done to upset the music producer. She watched Beca leave the studio, staying seated as she tried to figure out where things had gone wrong.

As she sat there, Luke entered the studio, frowning when he didn't see Beca. "Where's Beca?"

Chloe broke from her reverie to look at Luke. "Um, I wasn't feeling well so we decided to pick things up tomorrow. I was just getting my stuff together." Chloe made a show of gathering her papers and shoving them into a folder.

"How do you like working with her?" Luke asked.

Chloe smiled. "She's nothing short of amazing. She understands me musically and I know this album will be my best."

"I had a feeling you two would blend well together. I have to get back to work. Feel better. I'll see you tomorrow."

Once Luke was gone, Chloe texted Aubrey so that they could meet up. She needed to talk about Beca and she knew her best friend would no doubt be able to tell her how to handle things with the brunette.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Chloe was sitting in Aubrey's room next to her best friend talking about what had happened with Beca. The only conclusion Aubrey had drawn was that Beca was a bitch, but Chloe knew that wasn't it. She felt bad for tarnishing Beca's reputation with the blonde and was trying to fix it.

"She's not a bad person," Chloe insisted. "And she actually is really nice. She just... I don't know what it was about today. Maybe I've been pushing too hard and she got annoyed."

"Or she's a jerk," Aubrey stated.

Chloe sighed. "She's not, Bree. I've been bugging her to hangout with me for a few days now and she's turned me down every time. I should've just backed off."

"You know what, maybe she likes you but she doesn't believe in fraternizing with people she works with so she had to be a bitch in order to fight her feelings," Aubrey said.

"Or maybe she's just not into me," Chloe said.

"She has eyes," Aubrey stated. "She's into you."

Chloe laughed and shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. So what should I do? Apologize?"

Aubrey gave Chloe a look that told her apologizing wasn't an option. "_She _needs to apologize not you."

"But-,"

"No buts," Aubrey stated. "She's the one that flipped out so she's the one that apologizes."

Chloe's wasn't sure about Aubrey's logic but she decided against arguing with the blonde. The redhead heard her phone go off and picked it up from beside her on the bed. Her shoulders dropped when she saw that it was her mother. She didn't know what the woman wanted and she didn't feel like finding out.

Aubrey glanced at the screen and took the phone from Chloe so that she could answer it. "Hello?"

"Aubrey?" Mrs. Beale asked.

"Yeah it's me," Aubrey said. "Chloe's busy."

"Chloe always seems to be busy," Mrs. Beale stated.

"She's working on her new album. She's really focused on it. Did you want to leave a message?"

"Just let her know we want to hear from her. We miss her. Thank you, Aubrey."

"I will. You're welcome." Aubrey ended the call and set the phone down.

"Thank you," Chloe said, grateful that her friend was always willing to deal with her parents when she wasn't.

"No problem. She said she wants to hear from you," Aubrey said.

Chloe sighed. "Why can't they just leave me alone? We tried the whole reconciliation thing and it didn't work out. I can't do it. They made five years of my life complete hell and I can't even remember a few months of it because of the severity of it all. I don't know what they're expecting from me now."

Aubrey put an arm around Chloe's shoulders and pulled her close. "It's okay. Do things on your own terms when you're ready. They put you through a lot. They should understand where you're coming from."

Chloe rested her head on Aubrey's shoulder. "You don't think I'm being unfair?"

"Definitely not," Aubrey squeezed Chloe's shoulder comfortingly. "They're lucky you haven't completely written them off." Sensing that her best friend was starting to stress over the subject, Aubrey decided to talk about something else. "Want to watch a movie?"

"A comedy?" Chloe asked.

"Of course." Aubrey got up from the bed to go find a movie they could watch.

While Aubrey was away, Chloe let her mind drift back to Beca. The brunette didn't like to let people in. Chloe recognized this. The barrier Beca had around herself was as solid as they come but Chloe was determined to find a way through.

* * *

Beca entered the studio and noticed that Chloe wasn't there. The singer had never been late before and Beca wondered if the redhead would even show. She wouldn't blame her if she didn't. She had been rather mean to her yesterday. Deciding that this was a good thing, Beca turned to leave. It would be a nice break not having to rifle through her feelings for Chloe whenever she was around her. Jesse had told her to just tell Chloe who she is but she was still insisting on keeping things to herself. If Beca told Chloe who she was and the redhead still didn't remember her, it would just make things awkward.

Beca hit down button near the elevator and a few seconds later, the doors opened to reveal Chloe.

Chloe stepped off the elevator with a frown. "Were you leaving?"

"Um... I thought you weren't going to show," Beca said, trying to justify leaving.

"So instead of texting me to find out where I was, you just decided to leave?" Chloe asked.

Beca rolled her eyes. "Why are you getting upset with me? You're the one who was late."

Chloe handed Beca a clear container that had a piece of pie in it. "This is why I was late. I wanted to call a truce and apologize for whatever I did wrong but forget it. I'll tell Luke we can't work together so you don't have to put up with me." Chloe stepped back onto the elevator and repeatedly hit the 'close' button.

Beca came to her senses after the elevator doors had already closed. She wasn't sure what to do, though. She had hurt Chloe _again _and this time she felt like a jerk. Despite Beca's attitude towards her, Chloe had been nothing but nice to the brunette and now the music producer was starting to feel bad. Beca stayed where she was trying to decide what her next move should be. If she let Chloe tell Luke that they couldn't work together, she'd be free of all the emotions the redhead stirred in her, but if she continued to work with her, she knew that they would create an amazing album that would be great for Chloe's career.

Beca ran a hand through her hair, sighing in frustration. Before she could even come to a decision she was happy with, her legs were moving towards the stairs on their own accord. She quickly made her way to the first level and spotted Chloe about to leave the building. "Chloe," she called after her.

Chloe turned around to face Beca but said nothing.

"Can we talk?" Beca asked.

"No," Chloe answered.

Beca's eyebrows furrowed at the response. "No?"

"No," Chloe replied. "I've been trying to talk to you and be your friend for days now and you've been cold. I thought maybe you were just an all work and no fun kind of girl but now I'm thinking Aubrey was right. You're a bitch."

"Who's Aubrey? And I know I haven't been the easiest person to be around but I want to make this album with you."

Chloe shook her head. "I don't think I want to work on an album with someone who can't stand me."

Chloe walked out of the door and Beca watched her go. She headed back to the studio and sat down so that she could think about what to do now. She set the pie on the counter and smiled when she realized that it was apple. Her favorite.

* * *

_Beca was sitting on her bed when Chloe entered the room and called for her to come down. Everyone else was enjoying themselves outside but Beca had faked a migraine to get away. There was no way she was singing Kumbaya around a campfire. _

_ "Why?" Beca asked. "I'm comfortable."_

_ "Now," Chloe ordered as she got onto her own bed. _

_ Beca set her notebook aside and climbed down the ladder to see what the redhead wanted. "This better be important."_

_ Chloe rolled her eyes and scooted over to give Beca room to sit down. "You're such a pain. Just sit down."_

_ Beca sat down and gestured to the object Chloe was holding that was covered by a paper towel. "What's that?"_

_ Chloe handed the paper towel to Beca. "A gift."_

_ Beca opened the paper towel and smiled when she saw a slice of apple pie. "This is my favorite."_

_ Chloe smiled. "I know." _

_ "How'd you get it?" Beca asked. _

_ "The cooks love me," Chloe stated. "Hurry up and eat it just in case our camp counselor comes to check on you and your fake headache."_

_ Beca grinned. "Thank you."_

_ "At least I know how to make you smile," Chloe stated. "Food."_

_ Beca nudged the redhead with her elbow. "You make me smile all the time."_

_ Chloe grinned. "Yeah?"_

_ Beca froze for a moment before speaking. "I mean... sometimes. Not all the time. Stop staring at me like that."_

_ Chloe laughed. "Eat." The redhead quietly hummed a tune as Beca ate. Minutes passed and Beca found herself still lying in Chloe's bed long after she had finished eating. _

* * *

Beca pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked for Chloe's name. She had gotten the number when the redhead had insisted they would need to exchange numbers if they were going to be working together. She selected the option to send a text and took a moment to think about what she was going to say before writing.

_I'm sorry. Please come back. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Fifteen minutes had passed and Beca hadn't received a reply from Chloe. She was just about to text the redhead again when the singer made her way into the studio. Beca sat up straighter in her chair at her arrival. "You came back."

"You asked me to," Chloe pointed out as she sat down across from Beca.

"I know. I just... I didn't think you would. You were right. I was being a bitch to you and you didn't deserve that."

"Did I do something?" Chloe asked, curiously. "If you tell me what it was, I can do something about it. If you don't, then we continue on this way."

Beca shook her head. "You didn't do anything. You... you just remind me of someone I used to know and that friendship didn't end very well. It isn't fair of me to take that out on you, though. I'm sorry."

Chloe's anger eased and she looked at Beca sympathetically. "Well I'd like us to be friends if that's something you're okay with."

Beca nodded. "It is." She gestured to the untouched pie in front of her. "How'd you know apple pie was my favorite?"

Chloe grinned. "I didn't... I had a feeling, but I wasn't sure. Maybe I read it somewhere."

"Well, thank you. It was nice of you to get it for me."

Chloe was glad that they were on a much friendly path now. "You're welcome."

"So did you want to work on writing a few more songs?" Beca asked. "I've been working on the instrumental to the one you wrote yesterday. I know you like working on lyrics first and then the music but I couldn't sleep last night so I got started on it."

"I'm sure it sounds great and I can't wait to hear it. Can we work somewhere that's not here, though? I'm tired of being stuck in a studio."

Beca nodded. "That's fine. I totally get that. I do my best work when I'm outside."

Chloe stood up. "I have a place in mind for us. I can drive... unless you'd rather follow me in your car."

Beca stood up as well. "Um, you can drive. That's fine." As she made her way out of the studio, Beca remembered wanting to know something. "So who's Aubrey?"

Chloe laughed at the thought that Beca had been stuck on who Aubrey was. "She's my best friend."

"And she thinks I'm a bitch?" Beca asked, perturbed.

"You haven't been the nicest to me," Chloe stated. "I had to vent to her. Don't worry. I defended you."

Beca had no doubt the redhead had done just that. It was in Chloe's nature to see the best in everyone... or at least it was twelve years ago. "Sorry again about being a jerk. I feel like an idiot."

Chloe linked her arm with Beca's and it made the brunette stiffen for a moment before relaxing. "It's already forgotten."

Beca wondered if being friends with Chloe meant that she would now have to get used to the invasion of her personal space again. It had taken her some time to get used to when she was thirteen and now that her bubble had been revamped into a concrete wall, she had a feeling it was going to take even longer to get used.

* * *

Beca entered Chloe's house and looked around at the many pictures the redhead had on the wall. "You take all these yourself?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

Chloe nodded. "Photography is my second passion. I have a feeling we're going to be fast friends since you've decided to stop being as ass," Chloe winked at Beca to show her that she was joking. "so you should come to accept that there will be a camera in your face... a lot."

Beca had accepted that twelve years ago when the redhead had insisted on taking a picture of her every action.

* * *

_Beca was sitting in her and Chloe's spot waiting for the redhead who was supposed to be joining her once she was done doing whatever she needed to do back at camp. She was sitting their peacefully when she caught a flash out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and spotted Chloe with her camera. "Delete that."_

_ Chloe pouted. "Why?"_

_ "Because I'm not photogenic," Beca stated. _

_ Chloe walked over to the girl but not before snapping one more picture, which earned her a glare. "That's not true." Chloe located the picture she had just taken of Beca and showed the brunette. "See?"_

_ Beca had to admit the picture looked nice. "Okay, that one picture doesn't prove anything."_

_ Chloe bit her bottom lip as she thought about whether or not to show Beca what else she had on her camera._

_ "What?" Beca could tell Chloe was thinking about something._

_ "You're going to get all grumpy," Chloe said as she handed Beca her camera. "but here...flip through the pictures."_

_Beca began to look through the pictures and noticed a lot of them were of her doing random things. There was one of her writing, one of her eating, one of her glaring...okay, a few of her glaring._

_ "I had to take them with the flash off so you wouldn't notice and make me delete them," Chloe said, nervously. _

_ Beca looked up from the camera. "So then why show me now?"_

_ "Because I want you to see that you are photogenic. You're beautiful, Beca." Chloe moved to sit down next to her friend. "I'll delete them if you want."_

_ Beca was stuck on Chloe saying that she was beautiful. "You really think I'm beautiful?"_

_ Chloe smiled. "Of course."_

_ Beca stood up with the camera and took a few steps back. _

_ "What are you doing?" Chloe asked. _

_ Beca snapped a picture of the redhead. "Taking a picture so you can see how beautiful you are, too."_

_ Chloe reached up to the scar that was on her forehead and was about to disagree with Beca when the brunette sat back down next to her, pushing her hand away so that she could trace the scar with her own fingers. _

_ "This doesn't take away from your beauty in the slightest."_

_ Chloe smiled and took her camera back from Beca. "Let's take one together." She rested her head against Beca's as she held the camera out in front of them to take their picture. _

* * *

Beca followed Chloe into her living room and saw a picture on a table of a blonde. She hated that jealousy was climbing its way up to her heart and tried to shove it down before speaking. "Is that your girlfriend?"

Chloe looked at the picture Beca was currently eyeing and then shook her head. "That's Aubrey." Chloe took Beca by the hand and pulled her out of the living room.

Beca's heart began to thump rapidly in her chest at the contact and she mentally chastised it for not being able to manage the simple contact without going into overdrive.

Once they were outside in the back, Chloe released Beca's hand and gestured to the area. "This is where I like to write."

Beca admired the backyard. There was a pool that looked like it was probably cleaned that morning and the beach chairs looked rather comfortable. "It's nice."

Chloe smiled. "It really is. Ready to get to work?"

"Yeah, let's do this."

* * *

At least three hours had passed and Beca found herself immersed in a conversation with Chloe about anything and everything. She couldn't remember when she had last enjoyed herself this much.

Chloe checked the time on her phone and sat up in her chair. "Are you hungry?"

"A little," Beca admitted.

"Want to stay for a late lunch? I can order something." Chloe hoped Beca would agree to stay. She was enjoying the brunette's company and would hate for their time together to end so soon when they were finally getting along the way she wanted them to.

"Yeah, sure. Order whatever. I'm not picky," Beca answered as she reached for her bag that was sitting beside her. She pulled out her wallet and was promptly told to put it away.

"This is on me," Chloe stated.

"Consider it an apology for the past few days," Beca said as she pulled out some money.

"That's already been forgotten, remember?" Chloe said as she stood up. "Put your money away. Save it for the dinner you'll be buying me in the future."

Beca was taken by surprise at the comment. "I'll be buying you dinner in the future?"

Chloe winked at the brunette and entered her house without replying.

Beca was in trouble. Chloe was into her as more than a friend. That wasn't news, though. She already knew the redhead was crushing on her. The problem was the redhead possibly wanting to develop their relationship into something more than friendship. Could she have a relationship with the singer that had forgotten that she already knew her before? Should she just let it go and start anew with the woman? She was going to need to have a talk with her best friend later to figure this out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Beca was sitting in her living room watching television when she heard the knock at her door. She turned off the TV and stood up to answer it, knowing that it was Jesse. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see that Amy was there as well. "Amy what are you-,"

"I told her everything," Jesse said as he entered the house. "You needed a second opinion so... yeah."

Beca groaned and pointed at the blonde. "You can't say anything to anyone."

Amy held her hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, I can keep a secret." Beca gave the blonde a look that told her that she knew otherwise. "I can!" Amy insisted.

Beca pulled the music producer inside and closed the door. "All right, what's your opinion, Amy?" She moved into the living room and sat down.

Amy sat down across from her on the couch with Jesse. "I wouldn't tell Chloe about it. What if you tell her and she's like, "what the hell? I have no idea who you are. Are you stalking me?"

Jesse looked at his friend as if she were crazy. "_That's _your opinion? She might think Beca's a stalker? Why would she think that?"

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I could foresee happening. I'm hardly ever off, by the way. My cousins were the best gypsies in Tasmania. They once foretold the end of the world."

Beca grinned at the amusing woman. "The end of the world hasn't happened."

Amy frowned. "Have you seen the slew of reality shows that are out right now? I think the end is definitely coming."

Jesse looked at Beca apologetically. "I don't know why I thought bringing her was a good idea. "Listen, you should tell her. "What if she does remember? You can-,"

"Get upset at her for not remembering before and yell at her about it," Amy cut in. "Just start fresh."

"Or drop hints," Jesse added. "Maybe she'll remember if you do that."

Beca thought for a second about hinting to Chloe that they once knew each other. It was a good idea. "Okay, I can drop hints, but if they don't help after awhile, I'll do what Amy says and just start fresh... but that brings me to my new problem. Let's say she doesn't remember, I shouldn't date her, right? It'd be weird?"

"Why would it be weird?" Amy asked. "That's not weird."

"It's a bit weird," Jesse said. "You have to tell her, Beca. Why is it such a big deal?"

Beca sighed. "I don't know. I'm over-thinking everything."

"Okay, how about this," Jesse said. "You try dropping hints and if they don't work, then you come clean about who you are."

"Neither of those are my idea so you shouldn't listen to him," Amy stated. "Remember, I have gypsies in my family."

Beca looked from Jesse to Amy as she tried to make her decision. "I guess I'll be telling her if she can't figure it out from whatever hints I give her."

Jesse smiled. "Good. You won't regret it."

"I hope not." Beca said as she tried to figure out how she would go about helping Chloe figure out who she was.

* * *

Two days later...

Chloe was in her kitchen with Aubrey as they talked about the award ceremony that Chloe had to attend. She had asked Aubrey but the blonde had told her to ask Beca.

"Beca will say no," Chloe stated.

"And when has Beca saying no ever stopped you before?" Aubrey asked.

Chloe smiled at the question. "Good point... and if she goes I'll get to see her in a dress."

Aubrey laughed. "Why don't you just ask her out on an actual date like you want to instead of skirting around the subject?"

Chloe shrugged. "I've been waiting for her to do it. That's the only way I know she'll actually want to go on a date with me and not just because she feels obligated to."

The doorbell sounded and Aubrey smiled, mischievously. "Is that her?"

Chloe looked at her best friend, suspiciously. "Yes, what are you planning?"

"Nothing," Aubrey said, innocently. "I just can't wait to meet her."

Chloe walked out of the kitchen followed by Aubrey. She glanced at her best friend. "Behave," she said before opening the door. "Hey." Chloe gestured for Beca to enter.

Beca walked in with her laptop bag resting over her shoulder. She spotted Chloe's best friend and greeted her with a smile.

"Beca this is Aubrey," Chloe introduced them. "Aubrey this is Beca."

"I've heard a lot about you," Aubrey said as she shook Beca's hand. "Chloe really wants you to ask her out on a date so you should go ahead and do that. She usually gets what she wants so you shouldn't waste anymore time because it's inevitable." Aubrey stepped out the door. "See you later, Chloe!" She called behind her shoulder before walking off to her car.

"She's... blunt," Beca stated.

"That's my best friend for you," Chloe said as she closed the door, feeling slightly nervous. "You don't really have to ask me out on a date... I mean, I would definitely say yes, but you don't have to ask just because she t-,"

"Chloe," Beca cut the redhead off. "We should go on a date." This wasn't part of her plan. She knew that. She was breaking her own rules but with the way Chloe was looking at her all hopeful with those gorgeous blue eyes, she couldn't resist. She was only human after all.

Chloe grinned, happily. "Really?"

Beca nodded. "Really. We can have dinner tonight if that works for you."

"That works for me," Chloe said.

"Perfect. Ready to get to work?" She asked patting her laptop bag.

"Actually, I had a question," Chloe said. "The GLAAD Media Awards are coming up. I'm going and I was wondering if you'd want to join me."

"I'm not a fan of going to award shows," Beca stated. "And I hate dressing up."

Chloe threw on her infamous pout. "Please, I'm presenting an award so I have to go and I'd really like it if you were there."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll attend it with you."

Chloe bounced excitedly before hugging Beca. "We'll have fun together. All right, now I'm ready to work on this album."

* * *

Hours had passed and it was decided that they needed a break, so Chloe and Beca were talking idly as they sat back in their chairs enjoying the nice weather. After a few more minutes, Beca decided that this was a good time to try to hint at who she was in hopes that it would jog something in Chloe's memory.

Taking a deep breath just like she had many years ago when she had sung this song to Chloe, Beca began to sing _Warm Whispers. _Chloe smiled at Beca's voice suddenly filling the air around her. She looked over at the brunette and couldn't help but feel like she had been in this moment before. She thought hard, trying to pull the memory to the front of her brain but she couldn't grasp it. Shaking her head, she decided that she was imagining things and closed her eyes to listen to Beca sing.

When the brunette had finished singing, she looked over at Chloe who was sporting a smile. "What'd you think?"

"First off, I absolutely love that song," Chloe stated. "My brother fell into a bad ways a few years ago. Drugs and drinking. Listening to that song for some reason always made me feel better."

Beca's heart broke at hearing about Chloe's brother. She knew how it had hurt Chloe twelve years ago when she had learned that he was moving out, but for him to get hooked on drugs and drinking? That had to have destroyed the redhead. "How's your brother now?"

"Clean and sober for four years now," Chloe replied, proudly. "He moved somewhere quiet so he could get his life together and he's doing great. We aren't as close as we used to be. I miss him but we talk at least twice a month. Anyway, you sang that song beautifully. You should think about a career in singing."

Beca shook her head. "I like staying behind the scenes. I'm comfortable there."

"Waste of a gorgeous voice, but I understand what you're saying," Chloe said. "Sing me something else?" She asked.

Beca smiled and nodded her head. "Sure."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Aubrey watched in amusement as Chloe changed into yet another outfit. The redhead really wanted to impress Beca and it was cute. "That's definitely the winner," she said as Chloe turned to face her in an elegant blue dress.

"You're not just saying that because you're tired of me changing are you?" Chloe asked. "I want Beca to like it."

Aubrey grinned. "She'll love it. You look stunning, Chlo. So where is our favorite music producer taking you?"

"I think she said something about Italian." Chloe moved over to her dresser to grab her earrings. "I'm sure I'll love whatever it is, though." The doorbell rang and Chloe cursed under her breath. "I still have to put my make-up on."

"Not a problem." Aubrey got up from the bed. "This gives me a chance to interrogate her relentlessly."

Chloe turned away from her mirror to give Aubrey a warning look. "Behave. Don't scare her away."

"I'll try not to. Can't make any promises." Aubrey rushed out of the room and down the stairs. She opened the door and was surprised to see Beca in a black strapless dress that fit her perfectly. "Wow, you clean up well."

Beca smiled at the compliment. "Thanks."

Aubrey let Beca in and closed the door. "So I heard Chloe talked you into going to your first award show."

"She did," Beca nodded. "I'm hoping it won't be that bad. I'm not much for the Hollywood scene. It'll make Chloe happy, though, so I guess I'll have to suck it up."

Aubrey smiled at that comment. "It would make her very happy." Aubrey folded her arms across her chest and stared at Beca quizzically. "So are you into Chloe as in you want to take her on dates and eventually become something more or do you just want to sleep with her and move on?"

Beca was thrown by the question. "I, um... the first one."

"You know if you hurt her, I'll break your hands so that the only thing you'll be able to mix is pancake batter."

"That's very aggressive," Beca stated.

Aubrey dropped her arms down to her sides. "I wouldn't really do that, but I'd call you a bunch of mean things. Don't make me resort to that. My words cut deep."

Beca smiled at Chloe's protective best friend. "I'll make sure that it won't ever come to that."

"Good, because she likes you a lot." Aubrey heard heels on the staircase and turned around to see Chloe walking down.

Beca smiled at the redhead. "You look breathtaking, Chloe."

"You're looking pretty hot yourself," Chloe grinned. "You should definitely wear dresses more often. And you have heels on. I didn't even think you could walk in those."

Beca laughed. "I have many talents."

Chloe smirked. "I can't wait to figure out what they are."

Aubrey pointed to Chloe. "Chloe can tie a cherry stem with her tongue."

Chloe nodded. "Five seconds is my record."

"I'm sure you'll be able to enjoy those skills later,' Aubrey joked.

Beca turned red and Chloe took pity on her. "Aubrey," she chastised.

"Sorry," Aubrey said not in the slightest bit sorry. "Chloe's a respectable woman. Don't think you'll be getting into her pants tonight just because you take her to some fancy restaurant and your _Titanium _remix is her lady jam."

"Ohmygod, Aubrey," Chloe nudged her friend in the side. "Stop talking. You're going to send Beca bolting out of here."

"You two should probably get going," Aubrey said. "Don't worry, I'll be gone before you two return to do whatever your after date activities entail."

Chloe shook her head as she exited her house. "Goodnight, Aubrey."

Once they were inside the car, Beca turned her head to look at Chloe. "Was she kidding when she said my remix of Titanium is your lady jam?"

Chloe laughed. "No, that's totally my lady jam. The song just builds, ya know?"

Beca was sure she was a deep shade of red by now. "I guess they mean it when they say you learn something new everyday." She started her car and backed out of Chloe's driveway. She had no doubt that tonight would be very interesting.

* * *

Beca and Chloe had finally entered the restaurant after having to deal with the paparazzi that was lingering outside waiting for celebrities to come and go. Beca had been frustrated by it but Chloe handled it with grace, which didn't surprise her in the least bit.

Once they were shown their seats, they sat down and ordered drinks before the waiter walked away.

"I can see the headlines already," Beca said. "Singer seen out with up and coming music producer."

Chloe laughed. "You could be in worse company. I'm a great catch."

Beca rolled her eyes, playfully. "And modest, I see."

Chloe leaned forward to look at Beca. "You look beautiful but how uncomfortable are you in that dress right now?"

Beca grinned and looked down at her dress. "It's not horrible. I'll always be a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl but I can throw on a dress when I need to."

"And you needed to tonight?" Chloe asked. "I'd much rather you be comfortable than try to impress me. I already think you're the hottest woman to ever grace the earth."

Beca blushed at the compliment. "Well, I wanted to take you somewhere nice and I couldn't exactly get into this place in jeans."

Chloe feigned a frown. "Oh, so you weren't even trying to dress up for me?"

"What? No. I mean, yes. Yes, I had you in mind when I got dressed. I would've dressed nice even if we weren't coming here. I, uh-,"

Chloe laughed. "Calm down, Beca. I'm teasing you."

The waiter returned with their drinks and they let him know they weren't ready to order yet.

"Maybe we should look at the menu now and you can go back to seeing how many times you can get me to turn red in one night after we order," Beca said.

Chloe winked at the brunette. "Sounds like a plan," she said as she picked up the menu.

* * *

An hour later, Beca and Chloe were eating and talking about what had gotten them into music.

"I love singing but there's something about hearing lyrics and being able to turn them into something more with the music I create that just makes me feel free. I love it."

Chloe smiled, finding it cute how passionate Beca was about what she did for a living. "I know you said you like being behind the scenes but would you ever collaborate on a song with someone? Perhaps a redhead who thinks you're awesome?"

Beca shrugged as a smile played at her lips. "Maybe... I mean, if I really liked this redhead, I could possibly lend her my voice in a song."

"I'd love it if you would," Chloe said. "I love hearing you sing and I know the world will too."

"Then it sounds like we'll be doing a duet," Beca said, happily.

* * *

Beca pulled up in front of Chloe's house and got out of the car with the redhead. As they walked towards the house, Chloe glanced over at the brunette. "Do you want to come in?"

That was a hard question to answer. Did she want to? Yes. Should she? Probably not. "I do, but I should probably head home."

Chloe stopped at her door and turned to look at Beca. "You don't sound so sure about that."

Beca sighed. "I'm not."

Chloe took a step towards Beca, placing her hand on the brunette's waist as she moved her lips to Beca's ear. "I _really _want you to come in, Beca."

Beca felt herself shudder and cursed herself for not having more willpower than what she was currently displaying. "I guess I could hang around for a bit."

Chloe shook her head. "Not for a bit. For the night. I want you and I'm pretty sure you want me, right?"

Beca simply nodded. "Right."

"Well, then we're two consenting adults. Do you want to spend the night with me, Beca?"

Beca stretched up on her tiptoes and captured Chloe's lips with her own. Chloe returned the kiss with just as much passion as Beca was giving her and within seconds, she had to pull away before she took the brunette against the door.

"We should go inside." Chloe pulled her keys from her purse and unlocked her door. Once they were inside, she kicked off her heels and found herself laughing.

Beca frowned. "What?"

"I'm still taller than you," Chloe said before pushing Beca against the door, which caused it to slam shut. She kissed Beca fiercely, pushing her body into the shorter woman. Chloe pulled her lips away from Beca's lips and began to trail kisses along her neck. "Upstairs," she said before nipping at Beca's pulse point. She grabbed Beca by the hand and went to pull her towards the stairs, but Beca pulled her back to her. "What's wrong?" Chloe asked.

Beca mentally chastised herself for not being able to go through with what she so desperately wanted. It just wouldn't feel right without Chloe knowing who she was. "We can't. I'm sorry. It's not you. I just-,"

Chloe shook her head. "You don't have to explain. I practically jumped you. I should be apologizing."

Beca grinned. "You were hot. _Really _hot. I just... I need you to be patient with me for awhile. I'm sorry I'm being lame right now. You pro-,"

Chloe kissed Beca gently on the lips. "It's fine. Don't apologize. I still don't want the night to end, though, so how do you feel about cuddling on the couch and watching TV?"

Beca looked down at her dress. "If you give me a change of clothes, then we have a deal."

* * *

Beca and Chloe were sitting on the couch watching a remake of _The Parent Trap, _which had just started and Beca had a feeling that this was some sort of sign that she needed to bring up another hint to see if she could get Chloe to remember her.

"Have you ever been to summer camp?" Beca asked.

"Once," Chloe answered with her head resting on Beca's shoulder.

"How was it?" Beca asked.

"Hm, it was okay, I guess. I don't remember it much. Were you a camp girl, Beca Mitchell?"

"I've only been once as well," Beca said. "Camp Rising Star."

Chloe raised her head from Beca's shoulder to look at her. "I think that was the name of the one I attended." Chloe thought for a moment. "Yeah, Camp Rising Star. What year did you go?"

Beca was becoming excited at the idea that Chloe might actually remember. "Two-thousand."

"Me too!" Chloe said, happily. "What a coincidence. I guess we went in different months, though. I would definitely remember having met you."

Beca felt herself getting upset that Chloe still didn't remember her but she remained calm. "Have you ever had a head injury?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow at the random question. "A head injury? No? Why do you ask?"

_Shit. _Beca thought. What was she supposed to say? I was just wondering because you can't seem to remember you were my best friend? "Um, your scar," she rushed out. "You have a scar."

Chloe touched her forehead. "Oh, this. I forgot I had it. I ran into a wall when I was a baby. Nothing exciting. I used to hate it but I've grown to accept it."

Beca smiled, remembering how Chloe had hated it. "Well scar or no scar, it doesn't change how beautiful you are."

Chloe stared at Beca for a moment feeling again like she had experienced something like this before.

"What?" Beca asked.

Chloe shook her head. "Nothing." She kissed Beca on the cheek. "You're sweet." She rested her head back on the brunette's shoulder and went back to watching TV but the familiarity of the situation didn't leave her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Three weeks later...

Aubrey was highly amused over her best friend's current state of frustration. Apparently she hadn't gotten any further with Beca since their first date and Chloe was being driven crazy. "Maybe she likes waiting. I knew this girl once who wouldn't sleep with anyone until she had been dating them for at least three months."

Chloe groaned. "I don't want to wait. I just want to take her against the nearest surface whenever I'm alone with her."

Aubrey chuckled. "Wow, you so need to get laid. Turn her on to the point of no return and she'll give in."

"No," Chloe sighed. "She asked me to be patient."

Aubrey grinned. "Then I guess it's your right hand and Titanium for awhile longer."

Chloe glared at her best friend. "I hate you." Chloe's cell phone vibrated and she picked it up from the kitchen counter, not pleased to see that it was her mother, but deciding she could only avoid her for so long. She pressed the answer button and placed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Chloe... it's your mom."

"I know," Chloe said.

Aubrey placed her hand on top of Chloe's free hand that was resting on the counter, squeezing it comfortingly.

"I'm glad you answered," Mrs. Beale said. "I was starting to think you didn't want anything to do with us. Anyway, we saw that magazine article about you and Beca Mitchell."

"Yeah, she's the music producer I'm working with," Chloe said.

"Yeah, I know. I read the article. It says you two are dating."

"We are." Chloe wasn't sure why her mother had a sudden interest in her love life. "Why are we talking about this?"

"I'm just glad you two found each other, Chloe," Mrs. Beale stated. "Your father and I made a mistake with you and we're sorry. We're making your favorite this weekend. We're hoping you can join us for dinner."

"I'll probably be busy this weekend," Chloe said, confused by the conversation.

"Well if you can find the time, we'd love if you came over," Mrs. Beale said. "You have every right to not want to speak to us but we're trying here, Chloe."

"Yeah, I know, Mom. If I can find the time, then I'll be there," Chloe promised. "I have to go."

"Okay, it was nice hearing your voice. I hope you can make it," Mrs. Beale said.

Chloe ended the call and set her phone down before running her hand through her hair. "She said she's glad me and Beca found each other. What does that even mean? They want to have dinner with me. I don't even know what to say to them. I won't be able to sit through dinner with them."

"You know I'll go with you if you want me to," Aubrey offered.

Chloe smiled at her friend. "I know, but this would need to be something I did on my own."

"Does that mean you're going?" Aubrey asked.

Chloe sighed. "I don't know. I guess I'll wait until Saturday and see how I feel about it."

Three weeks of trying to remind Chloe of who she was hadn't gotten Beca anywhere with the redhead. She was definitely feeling like it was a lost cause. She was going to have to tell Chloe who she was soon before their relationship could develop even more than it already had.

Beca entered her room and went into the closet where a shoebox rested on the floor. She pulled it out and moved onto her bed before setting the box down. She traced her fingers over the box, taking a deep breath, before opening it.

Her eyes first fell on the picture of her and Chloe. She picked it up and looked at it for a moment with a faint smile before setting it down on her bed. She looked back into the box and pulled out four envelopes that contained letters that Chloe had written her. She remembered how excited she had been the first time she had received a letter from the redhead. She reached back into the box and pulled out a few pieces of folded paper. She smiled at the memory of how Chloe had gotten them back for her. She unfolded the papers and was about to read them when her phone began to vibrate on her nightstand. She set the papers down and picked up her phone, smiling when she saw that it was Chloe calling.

"Hey, you."

"Hey, can I come over?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, of course. Just let me know when you get here."

"I'm here."

Beca laughed and got up from her bed, knocking the box. "I'll be down in a moment." She ended the call and put the picture and letters away before placing the box back in the closet. She quickly headed downstairs and opened her front door for Chloe. She placed a kiss on Chloe's cheek as the woman entered her house.

Chloe closed the door and proceeded to give Beca a more intimate kiss. "You weren't busy were you?" She asked against Beca's lips.

"No," Beca guided Chloe to the living room an they sat down. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to see you. I'm stressing over whether I want to have dinner with my parents on Saturday or not."

Beca was surprised to hear Chloe bring up her parents. She knew they were a sore subject for her. "Do you think you'll go?"

Chloe shrugged. "I should but... I haven't been able to really forgive them for a lot of things. They were too hard on my brother and they flipped out on me for being gay. I'll tell you all about it if you feed me."

Beca smiled and kissed Chloe before standing up. "Wait for me upstairs."

Chloe headed upstairs as Beca went into the kitchen. She was fully prepared to dive bomb onto the bed when she noticed several pieces of paper on the mattress. She went over to the bed and picked them up without giving it a second thought.

_June 2000_

_ Hey, Chloe. This notebook is supposed to be for lyrics but I figured I'd write this to get it off my chest even though I know I'll never give it to you. So here goes..._

_ I like you a lot... a different kind of like, though. I don't know. It's weird. Different... a crush. It's a crush. I don't know what to make of it. I've never had a crush on anyone let alone a girl. It's really confusing me. I'm not sure what I should do about it. I can't tell you because you're my best friend and I don't want that to end because of my stupid feelings. You're seriously the greatest person I know. I'm glad you made me be your friend. I think... I think I love you and that scares me. I'm thirteen, though. I don't know what love is. I could be confusing emotions. Okay, I don't think I am. This whole thing just freaks me out a little. Not the liking a girl thing... the love part. It's... scary. Anyway, I'm glad my parents made me come to camp or I never would've met you. I hope we stay friends forever._

_ -Beca_

"I hope you're okay with a sandwich. I'm lacking in the food department." Beca entered her bedroom and saw Chloe reading something. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was.

"I found these on the floor." Chloe said, keeping her eyes trained on the small pieces of papers in her hand. "This is dated June of two-thousand."

Beca set the sandwich down on her dresser and took a step towards Chloe. "Um... we met twelve years ago at summer camp. I was going to tell you."

"But you didn't," Chloe snapped.

Beca felt herself getting angry. Who was Chloe to get upset with her for not saying anything when she was the one who forgot about their friendship? "I wasn't sure if I should at first. You didn't remember me and I thought it would be awkward to bring up."

"How close were we?" Chloe asked not being able to pull the memory from the crevice of her brain.

Beca felt a pang in her chest. "You still don't remember? God, Chloe did I mean that little to you?"

"Beca," Chloe began.

"No, don't." Beca wasn't done. She had waited years to say these things to Chloe. "You said we'd always be best friends! You made me feel important and then you just disappeared from my life. I cried over you! I guess it's my fault for being such an idiot and believing everything you said."

"We could've talked about this sooner!" Chloe yelled. "You have had weeks to tell me!"

"I've been dropping you hints for weeks but everytime I think you might remember something, I get nothing from you. Nothing. You just... you erased me from your life."

Chloe rubbed her hands over her face. "That's not it."

"No? Then please explain it to me."

Chloe wasn't sure what to say. She didn't know what Beca meant to her in the past. Was Beca the girl she had fallen for in summer camp that caused her parents to turn her life upside down?

Beca shook her head as Chloe stayed silent. "I want you to leave." Beca went into her adjoining bathroom, slamming the door in finality.

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut and wiped the tears that had escaped. She couldn't remember. She thought really hard about summer camp but she couldn't bring memories of Beca to the surface. She couldn't blame the brunette for being upset with her. She went to the bathroom door and was about to knock when she realized that she couldn't fix this until she had more information.

Chloe left the brunette's house and got into her car. She pulled out her cell phone and called Aubrey but she was directed to her voicemail. Chloe fought the urge to fling her cell phone across the car. She needed her best friend right now. "Aubrey I'm not doing so well so can you get back to me as soon as you can. I just had a fight with Beca and," Chloe's voice cracked as she began to cry. "I just really need you right now, okay?" Chloe ended the call and started her car. She knew where she needed to go in order to get this mess figured out.

Chloe parked in front of her parents' house and exited the car. This would be her first time seeing them in a couple of months. She approached the house slowly and hesitated for a moment before ringing the doorbell.

She was expecting a lot from this visit so she hoped her parents would be able to do this one thing for her.

The door opened and Chloe was met with the pale blue eyes of her father.

Mr. Beale smiled and took a step forward to hug his daughter, halting his actions when the redhead took a step back.

"I need answers." She desperately needed them and she hoped her parents had them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Chloe was sitting in the living room across from her parents. Awkward silence was currently filling the air. Her mother had offered her food and something to drink but she had waved them both off. She didn't come here for pleasantries. She needed to know if Beca was the girl from camp.

"How have you been?" Mrs. Beale asked.

"I was doing fine until today when I learned that the woman I'm dating is someone I'm supposed to know from when I attended summer camp. Now I'm pretty sure she never wants to see me again. Beca Mitchell. It's her, right? That's who you forbid me from speaking to all those years ago?"

Mrs. Beale nodded. "You don't remember?"

Chloe stared hard at her parents. "All the crap you two put me through left me suffering from something called repressed memory syndrome. I made myself forget her, I suppressed who I am... I let myself be unhappy for years in order to please you two." Chloe focused her cold gaze onto her mother. "We found each other but I lost her again because I can't remember."

"We're sorry," Mr. Beale said, regret clearly showing through his eyes.

"A lot of good you being sorry does me," Chloe spat.

"We messed up with you and your brother," Mr. Beale continued. "We can't go back and fix it but we're trying to be the parents that we should've been before."

Chloe was silent for a few seconds. She wasn't sure if there was any rebuilding that could be done to her relationship with her parents. "Is there anything you can tell me? Do you have a picture or anything? She said we were best friends."

"You were," Mr. Beale answered. "You two talked all the time on the phone and on the computer. You were miles apart but inseparable."

"We don't have anything but you talked about her all the time," Mrs. Beale added. "I remember that story you told when you found out she didn't like marshmallows or the time you realized she couldn't swim."

* * *

_Chloe and the other camp goers were enjoying roasted marshmallows while Beca sat silently amongst them. Chloe knew the brunette would enjoy herself if she just tried but the brunette was stubborn. _

_ Chloe nudged Beca with her elbow. "Grab a stick, burn some marshmallows, stop being anti-everything."_

_ "I'm not anti-you," Beca responded, sincerely._

_ Chloe smiled at the sweet words and picked a stick up. "Here." Beca simply stared at the stick causing Chloe to roll her eyes playfully. "Take it, Becs."_

_ Beca took the stick with a frown. "Becs?"_

_ "Yep, I decided you needed a nickname." Chloe took a marshmallow from the bag nearby and stuck it onto the stick Beca was holding carelessly. "Hold it better than that when you put it over the fire."_

_Beca did as she was told. "My dad used to call me Becs."_

_ "Is it something you don't like?" Chloe asked._

_ "No, it's fine. I just haven't been called that in awhile. Nowadays my dad is usually yelling at me, which requires the use of my full name."_

_ "Do you two not get along?" Beca rarely brought up her family so Chloe was curious to learn about them._

_ Beca looked around the campfire and saw that everyone was immersed in their own things. Even the camp counselors weren't paying them much attention, but she still didn't feel comfortable talking about her life with so many people around._

_ Chloe could see Beca's hesitance and took her by the hand as she stood up. "Come on. Your marshmallow's done."_

_ Beca allowed Chloe to pull her a few feet away until they were at the makeshift tire swing that had been there for years apparently. Beca had yet to swing on it; not sure how much she should trust an old looking tire and a worn rope. Chloe on the other hand had no qualms about jumping right onto it._

_ "So tell me about your parents." Chloe sat down with her legs through the tire resting her folded arms on the top of it._

_ Beca shrugged as she leaned against the tree. "There's not much to tell. They're both professors. My mom teaches psychology and my dad teaches English."_

_ "You mentioned before that your parents sent you here because they were trying to work on their relationship. Do they fight a lot?"_

_ "It's all they do. I hope they work things out. They used to be really good together."_

_ "If things don't end well, you can talk to me about it. I'll always be here for you, Beca."_

_ Beca smiled. "Thank you."_

_ "You don't have to thank me for caring." Chloe gestured to the untouched marshmallow. "Well eat it."_

_ Beca made a face. "I don't like marshmallows."_

_ Chloe's eyes grew wide. "What? How can you not like roasted marshmallows?"_

_ "I've never had them roasted before." The look of astonishment on Chloe's face amused Beca to no end._

_ Chloe removed herself from the tire and pulled the now cool marshmallow from the stick. "Try it."_

_ Beca dropped the stick and eyed the roasted marshmallow for a moment before her resolve broke. She reached for it but Chloe held it out of her reach. "I don't trust you not to throw it so you don't have to eat it."_

_ Beca smirked. "I was going to accidentally drop it."_

_ Chloe shook her head with a smirk. "You'll like it." She held the marshmallow up to Beca's mouth._

_ Beca leaned forward and took a bite of the snack, surprised to find that it actually tasted good. _

_ "What do you think?" Chloe asked._

_ Beca shrugged. "It's okay."_

_ Chloe smiled, knowing better. "You liked it." Chloe popped the rest of the marshmallow into her mouth._

_ "Hey, I was going to eat that," Beca protested._

_ Chloe simply smiled as she got back onto the tire swing._

* * *

Chloe smiled at the remembered memory but her good mood quickly fell. She couldn't imagine how Beca had felt all those years ago when she had just stopped talking to her. She looked at her parents who sat before her looking guilt ridden.

"I hope you two can work things out," Mrs. Beale said. "Beca meant a lot to you then and I can tell she does now as well."

"And we'd love to meet her," Mr. Beale added.

Chloe stayed silent for a beat. "Why the change of heart about my sexuality?"

"Because we know we were wrong," Mr. Beale answered.

"You guys were always fine with homosexuals. That's why I had told you. I thought it would be okay."

Mrs. Beale sighed. "I know this will sound horrible but it's just not the life we planned for you. It threw us when you told us you were in love with a girl. And you were young. We were sure you were just confused."

"And now?" Chloe asked.

"And now we just care if you're happy and healthy," Mrs. Beale said.

Mr. Beale nodded his head in agreement. "We miss you, Chloe. You and your brother. We hope it's not too late for us to be a family again."

Chloe stood up from the couch. "I should get going. I want to speak to Beca again." The redhead made her way to the front door followed by her parents. She stopped at the door and turned to face them. "It's not too late. It'll take some time... but it's not too late." Chloe exited the house and made her way to her car. She now needed to make things right with Beca.

* * *

Beca was sitting on her bed unsure of what she should be doing. She didn't feel like talking to Jesse or Amy about the events that unfolded. If she was being honest with herself, she really just wanted Chloe back here so that they could talk. She had let her anger get the best of her earlier and she regretted it. As she reached for her phone to call the redhead, she heard her doorbell being rung repeatedly.

Hoping it was Chloe, Beca rushed to answer it but was confused when she saw Aubrey. "What are you doing here? Is Chloe okay?"

Aubrey glared at Beca. "No she's not okay. She left me a tear filled voicemail. What'd you do?"

Beca gestured for Aubrey to come in. "How'd you know where I live?"

Aubrey entered the house. "You're dating my best friend. I made it a point to learn a lot about you. Now what did you do?"

Beca closed the front door and ran a hand through her hair. "We had a fight."

"Yeah, I got that. What started it?"

Beca sighed. "I knew Chloe when we were thirteen. We went to summer camp together. We were best friends... or so I thought until she stopped talking to me a month after camp ended and now she doesn't even remember knowing me."

Aubrey's eyes widened. "You're her!"

Beca looked confused. "What?"

"She didn't forget you... I mean, she did but it wasn't her fault." Aubrey could tell that Beca wasn't following. "Chloe has repressed memory syndrome caused from her parents' actions after she told them that she was in love with you."

"Oh." That was the only word Beca could form at the moment. For years she had thought Chloe simply wanted nothing to do with her so to learn that she had a memory problem was a shock. "What exactly is repressed memory syndrome?"

Aubrey thought of an easy way to explain it before answering. "Basically she forced herself to forget about you. It's a psychological defense mechanism. She repressed her thoughts of you and gave in to what her parents wanted in order to make them happy. They had trashed everything having to do with you, took away her phone and her computer so she didn't even have anything to remind her of you."

Beca was still hurt that the redhead had forgotten about her but at least now she understood the reasoning behind it. "I yelled at her. I'm such an idiot."

"Its not your fault. You didn't know. You better plan on making things right, though. She really likes you."

"I feel the same about her," Beca assured the blonde. "We should go look for her."

"I've tried her house and I've tried calling. She wasn't home and she hasn't answered my calls."

"Maybe she didn't go far," Beca said. "We can drive around and see if she's nearby. Let me go grab my shoes and keys and I'll be back down."

"I'll be waiting outside." Aubrey exited the house just as Chloe's car was pulling up to it. She rushed to the now parked vehicle and pulled the car door open. "Chloe I tried to call you like ten times! You had me worried!"

Chloe exited the car. "I'm sorry. I went to my parents' place to talk about Beca. I was hoping they'd be able to tell me things that would help me remember by maybe having a few things that would remind me of Beca but they only knew of a story that actually helped trigger a memory."

Aubrey pulled the redhead into a hug. "I know it's frustrating. You'll be able to get your memories of Beca back, Chloe. Only one person can help you with that, though."

Chloe nodded. "I know. Did you speak to her?"

"I did," Aubrey said. "I told her everything. Want to go see her?"

"Yeah, I do," Chloe answered. "You don't have to stay."

"Are you sure?" Aubrey asked. "You know I don't mind staying if you need me."

"I'll be okay. I'll call you later."

Aubrey squeezed Chloe's hand reassuringly before heading to her car. Chloe waited for Aubrey to drive off before she took a deep breath and made her way into Beca's house.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Beca returned downstairs and froze before she made it to the foyer when she saw Chloe waiting for her. She came to her senses and took the few steps she needed to towards the redhead. "You're here."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah, I am. We need to talk." She gestured to the shoebox that Beca was holding. "What's that?"

Beca looked down at the box. "This... this is something I want to show you but let's talk first." She nodded towards the living room. "Do you want to sit?"

"Sitting's fine," Chloe answered before following Beca into the living room.

Beca set the box down on the coffee table and turned on the couch so that she was facing Chloe. "I'm sorry. I was mean and I jumped to conclusions."

Chloe tentatively reached her hand out to touch Beca's, relieved when the woman didn't pull away from her. "Honestly, I would've jumped to the same conclusions if I was in your place. I'm also not sure if I would've told you right away either so it wasn't right of me to get upset with you about that. I was just shocked."

"I understand. I'm still sorry that I yelled at you the way I did. Aubrey said you have something called repressed memory syndrome."

"I do. My memories aren't totally lost to me. I just have to dig deeper for them is all. Sometimes... well, a majority of the time when I'm around you I get this... sense of familiarity. You're still here, Beca." Chloe pressed a finger to her temple. "And here," she put her hand over her chest. "I just need you to be patient and help me remember."

Beca smiled and pulled her hand from Chloe's grasp so that she could brush a strand of the redhead's hair behind her ear. "I can do that." She reached for the box on the coffee table and placed it on her lap. She smiled when Chloe instantly moved closer to her. "I kept everything I had having to do with you. I know that's probably creepy but-,"

"It's not creepy," Chloe responded. "It's sweet. I'm actually surprised you kept anything having to do with me."

Beca shrugged. "I guess I didn't want to let you go. You meant a lot to me. You were my first real friend." She opened the box and pulled out a picture. She handed it over to Chloe and watched the redhead's expression as she looked at it.

"You look so different," Chloe said as her eyes fell on the young brunette.

"Not that different," Beca said.

"Your hair is different," Chloe pointed out. "And you have tattoos and what Aubrey likes to call ear monstrosities now."

Beca frowned. "Ear monstrosities? I like my earrings."

Chloe looked at Beca. "I do too. They're hot."

Beca smirked and gestured to the picture. "We had this secret spot at camp. You discovered it and made me go with you there. It was pretty awesome."

"Is that where this picture was taken?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, we took it after-."

"You took my picture. You said you wanted me to see how beautiful I was." Chloe looked just as surprised as Beca that she remembered. She smiled at the brunette. "You were really smooth back then."

"Back then?" Beca asked with a raised eyebrow. "I had you wanting to bed me before you even met me... the second time."

Chloe laughed. "I can't deny that."

Beca reached into the box again and pulled out a necklace. The pendant dangling from it was a Chinese symbol symbolizing strength. "You gave this to me right before we left camp."

Chloe took the necklace and let her fingers trace over the pendant. "This was my brothers. I was eleven when he gave it to me. I was-,"

"Nervous about a recital and refused to go on stage five minutes before you were supposed to be up there. He told you the necklace stood for strength and it would help you make it through the recital."

Chloe smiled as she looked at Beca. "You remember me telling you that?"

Beca nodded. "I remember everything about you."

Chloe's smile fell and she looked away from Beca. "I want to remember everything about you."

Beca placed her hand on Chloe's knee. "And you will, but if you don't, it's okay. You can relearn everything about me. Can you remember why you gave me that necklace?"

Chloe shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Please don't be sorry. I'll tell you about it. It was one of the sweetest things you had ever done for me."

* * *

_Beca put her last suitcase in the trunk of her mother's car and got into the passenger's seat. "Where's dad?"_

_ "Work," Mrs. Mitchell answered. "How was camp? Did you make a lot of friends?"_

_ "One," Beca answered. _

_ "One?" Mrs. Mitchell repeated. "Why just one?"_

_ "She's the only one I liked," Beca answered, already missing the bubbly redhead that she was referring to. _

_ Mrs. Mitchell was about to drive off when she noticed a redhead girl running towards the car. She rolled down her window to see what the girl wanted. _

_ "Sorry, can I speak to Beca please?" Chloe asked. _

_ Beca was already exiting the car before her mother okayed it. "Hey, what's up?"_

_ Chloe took Beca by the wrist and pulled her a few feet away from the car. She removed a necklace from around her neck and held it out for Beca to take. "I want you to have this. I know you're worried about what you're going home to but just remember to be strong, okay? You'll be fine whether your parents stay together or not."_

_ Beca frowned as she looked at the necklace. "That's your favorite necklace. Your brother gave it to you." _

_ "I know. It's yours now. Take it." Chloe took Beca's hand and placed the necklace in it. "You can give it back when you don't need it anymore." _

_ "Are you sure?" Beca asked. "I don't want to take something that means so much to you."_

_ "I'm sure." Chloe pulled the brunette into a hug. "I should let you go. We'll talk soon."_

_ Beca reluctantly pulled out of the hug and made her way back to her mother. _

_ "I thought you hated hugs," Mrs. Mitchell said once Beca was back in the car. _

_ "Chloe's hugs are acceptable," Beca said, simply._

* * *

"I wore that necklace when I auditioned for my first gig and when I played at my first club. I had it on when I was discovered by Luke and during the entire process of producing Cynthia Rose's first hit single. This necklace has been my good luck charm. I don't need it anymore. You should keep it."

Chloe smiled and leaned forward to place a kiss on Beca's cheek. "Thank you."

"No, thank you for letting me borrow it," Beca smiled.

"You said giving you this was one of the sweetest things I had ever done for you. What was the other?"

"That note you found earlier," Beca began.

Chloe reached into her pocket and pulled it out. "This one?"

"That's the one," Beca nodded. "Do you remember Allison?"

Chloe mulled over the name for a moment. "Allison... mean girl, Allison?"

"Bingo," Beca smiled. "She ripped those pages out of my notebook and threatened to tell you what they said if I didn't do her chores. You got them back for me. I would love to know how you managed that and made her afraid of you."

Chloe thought about it but it wasn't coming to her. "I can't remember but the second I do, you'll be the first to know."

"Sounds good," Beca said as she closed the shoebox. "How about we take a break from this." The brunette didn't want to overwhelm Chloe with too much. "Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Can we stay in?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, I pour a mean bowl of cereal." Beca stood up.

Chloe laughed lightly as she got up. "How about pizza?"

"Dialing a number. Even better." Beca began to make her way into the kitchen but was stopped by Chloe.

"Beca," the redhead began. "What are we doing? I mean... are we still together or do you just want to be friends?"

Beca kissed Chloe on the lips gently and pulled away after a few seconds. "Extra cheese, right?"

Chloe smiled. "Yeah, extra cheese."

Beca placed another kiss on the redhead's lips before heading into the kitchen.

Chloe sat back down and pulled out her phone to text Aubrey that everything was going to be all right between her and Beca.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Beca was sitting in a swivel chair in the studio where Jesse had been working before she interrupted him to let him know about Chloe. He, of course, had to remind her how many times he had told her that she should've told Chloe the truth from the start to avoid the blowout that occurred yesterday.

"I'm happy for you," Jesse smiled. "So what happens between you two now?"

"I'm trying to help her remember," Beca answered. "I've got something amazing planned for tonight."

"What is it?" Jesse asked.

Beca shook her head. "I'm not telling you because you'll tell Amy and Amy and secrets don't mesh well." Beca's phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket.

"Chloe?" Jesse asked.

"No, my mom." Beca put the phone to her ear. "Hey, Mom."

"Don't hey, Mom me," Mrs. Mitchell said. "How come I have to find out from Star Dish magazine that my daughter is in a serious relationship."

"Mom-,"

"_And _with Chloe Beale. Chloe Beale who broke your heart all those years ago."

"Okay, Mom," Beca chuckled. "First off, why do you believe anything you read in Star Dish?"

"Oh, so it's not true?" Mrs. Mitchell asked.

"No, it's true," Beca replied. "but stop reading that magazine. It's trashy. And secondly, we made up. She has repressed memory syndrome. She didn't want to forget about me... her parents just flipped when she told them that she was in love with me and did a bunch of crazy stuff that made her push me from her mind."

"She's in love with you?" Mrs. Mitchell asked.

"Was," Beca corrected. "I don't know about now. I haven't asked about it. I'm just focusing on helping her remember right now. You teach psychology. Any suggestions?"

"Yeah, anything that'll trigger her senses might help her. Like the smell of something familiar or other identifiers like certain intimate acts."

"Mom we were thirteen! We weren't rolling around in our bunk beds at summer camp!" Beca said, mortified by the implication.

"I didn't mean sex, Beca," Mrs. Mitchell laughed, amused by her daughter's outburst. "I meant intimate acts as in whatever close things you did as friends. Didn't you say you used to stargaze with her. Stuff like that."

"Oh, then I'm already a step ahead of you. I have something awesome planned for her tonight. Anyway, I have to go. We'll talk later. Stop reading those magazines!"

"Bye, sweetheart."

Beca ended the call and stood up from the swivel chair. "Chloe's probably waiting for me. I'll see you later, Jesse."

"Have fun with your intimate acts," Jesse joked.

Beca glared at the boy playfully before heading down to her own studio. As she neared the door, she was greeted by Luke. "Luke, hey." She hadn't seen her boss in awhile and she was hoping to continue to avoid him. She wasn't sure how he would take her dating someone she was working with.

"How's the album coming along?" Luke asked.

"Great," Beca replied. "We've been working really hard on it."

Luke nodded. "Good. Remember, I put you on this because I knew you'd be able to do amazing things together. Don't disappoint me."

"I won't," Beca promised as Luke walked off. She entered her studio and smiled at the sight of Chloe biting her lower lip as she worked on writing a song. "Hey, you."

Chloe looked up and greeted Beca with a bright smile. "Hey, there are two things I really need to talk to you about. One of them might make you want to flip a table and the other will definitely make you want to hide under one."

Beca raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What's on your mind?"

Chloe set down her pencil. "Which one do you want to hear first?"

Beca thought for a moment. "I think I'd need the table to hide under before I flip it over."

Chloe smiled at the joke but then grew serious. "Um...my parents... there's this dinner... you don't have to go... they just asked if I'd bring you... Aubrey's coming...now that I think about it you probably really don't want to go."

Beca turned the empty chair beside Chloe so that it was facing the redhead before she sat down. "Chloe if you want me to go, I'll go. It's fine."

"Really?" Chloe asked.

Beca nodded. "Really."

Chloe leaned forward and kissed Beca. "You're the best. And don't worry, I plan on going to dinner with them alone with my brother on Saturday to work on things and then the following Saturday is when you'll be joining us. I just wanted to give you a heads up. Please don't feel like you have to go."

"I want to go." No, she didn't. She was actually beyond terrified at the thought of meeting Chloe's parents. It felt like they had been dating for years but really it had only been a little over a month, but she knew this was important to Chloe. And if it was important to Chloe, then it was important to her. "It'll be fine. I'll buy a bulletproof vest."

Chloe laughed and moved so that she was sitting on Beca's lap. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. " Beca kissed Chloe briefly. "Now what's going to make me want to flip a table?"

Chloe got up from Beca's lap and began pacing the studio. "Okay, I know we've been working really hard on this new album and we've gotten really far already but I kind of want to change the direction it's going in."

"As in..."

Chloe stopped pacing so that she could look at Beca. "As in scrap the last few songs we wrote and write new ones. I know you already worked hard on making the music for a few of them and they all sound amazing. I just... I really have something different in mind now. I'm sorry."

Beca stood up from the chair. "It's your album. We can do whatever you want. I don't mind." Beca leaned up to kiss Chloe. "What direction do you want to take it in?"

"I'm working on a song right now that'll answer that question for you. I'll show it to you once it's done."

Beca smiled. "Okay, then what do you want to do today?"

"Well," Chloe moved to the studio door and locked it. "We could talk. Talking's good." Chloe sat down on the table and Beca moved to stand between her legs.

"Or?" Beca asked as she placed a kiss on Chloe's neck.

"Or we could do exactly what you have in mind," Chloe said as Beca continued to trail kisses along her neck. They hadn't taken their relationship to the next level yet and even though Chloe was seriously ready to drop her pants whenever she was alone with Beca, she didn't mind the wait. Beca wanted to wait until the right moment and that made Chloe's heart swell. The brunette was truly sweet and Chloe was happy that they had ended up finding each other after so many years.

* * *

Chloe glanced looked away from her car window to look beside her at Beca. "Where are we going?" The brunette had instructed her to pack in overnight bag but hadn't told her where they were going. Beca had told Aubrey so that the blonde would know where they were in case of an emergency but no matter how many threatening text messages Chloe sent her best friend, the woman wouldn't budge with the secret.

"I'm not going to tell you," Beca smiled. "And stop texting Aubrey. She won't tell you either."

"Can I have a hint?" Chloe asked.

"No, you just be patient," Beca ordered, playfully.

"We've been driving for an hour," Chloe pouted. "I'm running out of that."

"It'll be worth it. Trust me," Beca said, smiling.

Chloe reached out to rest her hand on Beca's thigh before she closed her eyes to take a nap. Beca smiled at the contact and was happy that Chloe's eyes were closed. Maybe the redhead would be asleep when they reached their destination, making it even more of a surprise.

* * *

Chloe's eyes fluttered open when she heard the slamming of the car door. She looked beside her and saw that Beca wasn't in the car with her. She undid her seatbelt and got out of the car, spotting the brunette pulling a blanket out of her trunk.

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked. "Where are we?" Chloe looked around for the first time, taking in their surroundings. "Wait... is this Camp Rising Star?"

"It is," Beca closed the trunk. "I thought it would help you remember some more if we were here together again. Camp doesn't start until next week so don't worry about us getting caught. Come on. I really want to take you to our spot."

"Wait." Chloe stopped Beca from moving. "Let me. I think I remember where it is."

Beca smiled and gestured for Chloe to walk ahead of her. "Lead the way."

Chloe walked confidently, sure she knew exactly where she was going and when she reached their secret spot with the lake, she bounced excitedly. "This is it!"

Beca laid the blanket out. "You used to make me stargaze. It became our thing. I miss doing that with you."

Chloe turned away from the lake to look at Beca. "We would find stars that made funny shapes. You pretended to hate it but I knew you enjoyed it." The redhead stepped closer to Beca.

Beca laid down on the blanket and smiled when Chloe joined her. They looked up at the star-filled sky as their fingers linked together.

"You made camp really enjoyable for me," Beca said, softly. "I liked being close to you... I still do. I hate that it took us twelve years to find each other again but I'm really glad you're here with me now." Chloe didn't respond and Beca was becoming nervous. "What's wrong?"

Chloe turned so that she was facing Beca. "Nothing." She crashed their lips together, pouring everything she had into the kiss. She moved on top of the brunette, pushing her thigh between Beca's legs as her tongue trailed out along the brunette's bottom lip.

Beca allowed Chloe entrance right away and moaned into the kiss when their tongues met. Things escalated quickly and Beca could tell where things were headed. "God, Chloe, wait," she groaned out as the redhead pushed her thigh into her.

"I don't want to wait anymore." Chloe's voice was filled with unbridled lust and it made Beca ache.

"I have a hotel room for us," Beca stated as Chloe began to suck at her pulse point. "And I wanted to show you around camp more," she breathed out.

Chloe reached between their bodies and began to undo Beca's belt. "I don't want to wait. Not even for a second."

"Oh" was all Beca managed to get out before Chloe's lips were on hers again.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. The lyrics are from 'Red' by Taylor Swift.**

**A/N: I Imagined the song, "Red" as being the cover done by Tyler Ward in this fic. **

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Beca woke up to find a second blanket covering her and a fully clothed Chloe sitting at nearby tree writing in a notebook. The moonlight caught the girl perfectly and Beca took a moment to take in the redhead's beauty.

"I can feel you staring at me," Chloe smiled, not taking her eyes off what she was doing.

"You went to the car?" Beca asked as she moved to get dressed. Her clothes had been folded and were waiting for her in a neat pile.

Chloe's eyes strayed away from what she was writing and fell onto Beca's naked form. She smiled as she watched the woman getting dressed. "Yes. I also walked around. We shared a bunk bed right? You slept on the top because you said there was more privacy there."

"But it didn't stop you from climbing up there whenever you wanted," Beca said with a smile as she pulled on her jeans. "What are you writing?"

"A song I've been working on. It's done now," Chloe said, happily.

"Can I read it?" Beca pulled on her shirt and moved to sit beside Chloe.

"I'll do you one better." Chloe kissed Beca once she was settled down beside her. "I'll sing it to you."

_Loving her is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street.  
Faster than the wind, passionate as sin ending so suddenly.  
Loving her is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall.  
Like the colors in autumn so bright just before they lose it all._

Beca smiled as the words flowed beautifully from Chloe, striking at her heart. Chloe returned the smile as she continued to sing. Loving Beca made her feel free. Their relationship was still new and it left her unsure of certain things but she was still excited at the prospect of what they could become. Even if she wanted to turn back, it was too late. Beca had her heart. _  
_

_Losing her was blue like I'd never known.  
Missing her was dark grey all alone.  
Forgetting her was like trying to know somebody you never met.  
But loving her was red.  
Loving her was red._

The day Chloe's parents ripped Beca from her life was a pain Chloe had never experienced before and she missed her everyday until she eventually allowed the brunette to slip from her mind, but thinking about it, she never really forgot about Beca. Small things throughout life always made her stop and feel a sense of familiarity and she now knew why. Beca had always been in her heart.

_Touching her was like realizing all you ever wanted _

_was right there in front of you.  
Memorizing her was as easy as knowing all the _

_words to your old favorite song.  
Fighting with her was like trying to solve a crossword _

_and realizing there's no right answer.  
Regretting her was like wishing you never found out _

_that love could be that strong._

Tonight had been amazing and while Beca slept, Chloe had taken the time to admire the brunette. She had trailed her fingers gently along Beca's face as she enjoyed the quiet moment. The connection she shared with Beca was rare and something she never wanted to lose again.

_Losing her was blue like I'd never known.  
Missing her was dark grey all alone.  
Forgetting her was like trying to know somebody you never met.  
But loving her was red.  
Red._

Remembering her comes in flashbacks and echoes.  
Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go  
But moving on from her is impossible  
When I still see it all in my head.  
Red.

Chloe had thought, briefly, that maybe she should just let it all go. She still couldn't remember everything and she thought it was time to leave the past in the past and start anew with Beca but it was impossible to ignore the small things that sparked a new memory within her and really, she wanted to remember every single detail about her time with Beca.

Chloe finished singing and looked at Beca who had tears in her eyes. She smiled and wiped the tears that managed to escape. "Don't cry."

"That was really beautiful," Beca said, softly. She wiped away her tears and rolled her eyes at herself. "This stays between us, right? You won't tell anyone a mess I became when you sang me that song?"

Chloe smiled and kissed Beca on the lips. "Just Aubrey. You have this reputation of being this bad ass music producer and you're really just a softie. It's cute."

"Cute?" Beca groaned.

"Cute in a bad ass way," Chloe kissed Beca again. "So you liked the song?"

"It reduced me to tears," Beca pointed out. "I loved it." Beca took a deep breath as she became serious. "So that's how you feel about me?"

Chloe nodded. "I..." Was it too soon to say those words? She basically told her in the song that she loved her so it should be okay to say it now, right?

Beca could see Chloe's internal battle with herself. She smiled and took the redhead by the hand. "I love you too."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Really?"

Beca laughed at the reaction. "Really. How could I not love someone as amazing as you?"

Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca in a tight hug before giving her a kiss.

Once the kiss ended, Beca stood up, pulling Chloe with her. "So you want your new album to be about us?"

Chloe nodded. "I want it to be a story. Finding you, losing you, finding you again. I already have a name for the album."

"Yeah?" Beca asked. "What is it?"

"Remembering her comes in flashbacks and echoes," Chloe replied.

Beca grinned. "Fitting."

"I thought so," Chloe agreed.

"It's perfect." Beca kissed Chloe on the cheek. "Let's head to the hotel. "

"Hold on." Chloe pulled her hand from Beca's. "Give me your keys."

Beca frowned but did as she was told. She watched as Chloe located her pocket knife that dangled from her keychain and moved over to the tree they had just been at. She smiled when the redhead began to carve a heart onto the tree followed by their initials.

"Now I'm ready," Chloe said, happily, moving back over to Beca and lacing their fingers together once again.

* * *

Beca was sitting in her usual studio with Jesse and Amy. She had told them about her night, choosing to leave out the part where she had sex with Chloe in the woods. She wasn't one for discussing things like that.

"Look at you being all romantic," Jesse grinned, happy that his friend had worked things out with Chloe. He had never seen her this happy over a woman before.

"Wait, let's back up real quick," Amy said. "You said you two fell asleep outside. What'd you two do that made you tired? You had to have gotten laid. You did, didn't you?"

Beca felt herself becoming red at the blonde's words. "What does that matter?"

Jesse laughed. "You totally had sex in the woods."

Beca rolled her eyes. "It was romantic."

"And drafty, I'm sure," Amy added. "My cousin had sex on a beach once. He did not see those crabs coming."

Jesse made a face. "He got attacked by crabs?"

"No, the girl he was with had them," Amy clarified.

Beca shook her head with a small laugh. "Anyway, I'm meeting her parents next week. I'm beyond nervous."

"You're willing to meet her parents?" Jesse was surprised.

Beca sighed. "Yeah, they want to meet me. Chloe's trying to mend her relationship with them."

"But won't that be awkward?" Amy asked.

"I'm sure it will be but I'll endure it for Chloe."

Chloe entered the studio during Beca's last few words. "Endure what for me?" She bent down and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.

"Nothing," Beca replied, quickly.

Jesse stood up, offering Chloe his chair. She thanked him and sat down before looking at Beca. "What were you three talking about?"

"How super awkward it'll be for Beca to meet your parents after all the drama they caused," Amy answered.

"We were just leaving." Jesse grabbed Amy by the hand and pulled her with him out of the studio.

Chloe looked at Beca with a small smile. "You really don't have to meet my parents. I totally understand why you wouldn't want to."

"No, it's fine. I'll meet them. I'm just... unsure of how it'll all go. I mean..." Beca let out a breath. "They didn't treat you right and they took you away from me. I'm already not a fan and I know that's horrible to say but I promise to show up at their house with an open-mind."

"And that's all I ask of you. They've changed and I believe them when they say they regret their actions. The dinner I'm having alone with them and my brother tonight will get all the awkwardness out of the way and we'll talk a lot of things out so next week will just be them meeting my amazing girlfriend.

Beca grinned. "Amazing, huh?"

Chloe nodded. "Definitely amazing."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Beca leaned in to kiss Chloe but the redhead pulled away.

"Behave. We have work to do. Work now, play later," she winked at the brunette.

Beca leaned in and pecked Chloe on the lips. "All right, let's get to work."

* * *

One week later...

Beca approached Chloe's parents' house feeling more than a little nervous. Why had she agreed to this again? Oh, right. To make Chloe happy.

Chloe rang the doorbell and then looked at Beca. "You okay there?"

Beca nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just feel like my heart's going to give out. No big."

Chloe chuckled and bumped Beca's shoulder with her own. "Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me. And don't worry. Aubrey will be here soon. She talks a lot. You won't have to say much."

Beca smiled. "I like making you happy so if that means meeting your parents, then I'll go through with it. Besides, I'm already at the front door. It's too late for me to run."

The door opened and Beca contemplated whether or not it was too late to fake an illness after everything she had just said.

Mrs. Beale hugged her daughter and then looked at Beca. "You must be Beca."

"I am," Beca nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Beale."

"Call me Laura and it's nice to meet you too." Mrs. Beale stepped aside to let her daughter and Beca in.

Mr. Beale approached the foyer and hugged his daughter before greeting Beca with a handshake. "Chloe has always had great things to say about you. I'm sure you know what happened twelve years ago."

Beca nodded. "I do."

"We're sorry," Mr. Beale said. "We were foolish back then. We just want our daughter to be happy and when she talks about you, we can tell that's exactly what she is."

Mrs. Beale nodded her agreement. "I hope you can forgive us for separating you two from each other. We were wrong."

"We both want the same thing." Beca looked from Mr. Beale to his wife. "We want Chloe to be happy. With a similar goal like that, I think we'll get along just fine."

Mr. Beale smiled at Beca. "I think you're right."

Chloe smiled brightly at how things were going. She seriously had the best girlfriend. She expected things to be strained at first but her parents had started with a much needed apology to Beca and it seemed like the brunette wasn't going to hold a grudge. She didn't have anything to worry about.

"Did you need help setting the table?" Beca asked.

Mrs. Beale looked pleased at the brunette's offer to help. "You're a guest. Don't worry about it. Go relax in the living room. We'll call you when we're ready for you. It won't be long."

Mr. And Mrs. Beale headed back into the kitchen and Chloe pulled Beca into the living room.

"You're the best," Chloe said, placing a kiss on Beca's cheek before sitting down on the couch.

"I'm aware," Beca joked.

The doorbell rang and Chloe stood back up. "That must be Aubrey. I'll be right back." She headed to the front door and pulled it open to find her best friend standing there with two bottles of wine.

Aubrey held up the bottles. "I thought we might need it to make it through dinner."

"Dinner might actually go over pretty well," Chloe said.

"Yeah?" Aubrey smiled. "Beca survived meeting your parents?"

Chloe nodded with a huge smile. "It's going better than I thought it would. My parents are being great and Beca... Beca's fantastic. She's-,"

"Definitely getting laid tonight," Aubrey finished, amused. "You say her name and you're practically swooning. You two make me sick."

Chloe laughed. "Sorry."

"No, I'm happy for you. We should definitely drink in celebration. You're working things out with your parents and you've found your dream girl. Life is good."

"Life is definitely good," Chloe agreed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

_Chloe was with Beca at their usual spot. Beca was writing while Chloe was listening to the brunette's music. They were simply enjoying each other's company while they did their own thing. Chloe glanced over at Beca and smiled at how cute the girl looked when she was concentrating._

_ Chloe removed the headphones and nudged Beca with her elbow. "When's your birthday?"_

_ Beca continued to write as she spoke. "Why? It's just another day. I don't like making a fuss about it."_

_ "Because I want to know." Chloe should've known Beca would be difficult about this. "And that's fine. You don't have to make a fuss about it. I will. So when is it?"_

_ Beca sighed and closed her notebook. "You're not going to let this go are you?"_

_ "Nope," Chloe replied. "You're my best friend. I want to know your birthday."_

_ "April twenty-sixth."_

_ "Oh," Chloe replied, bummed that it had already passed. "What'd you do for it?"_

_ "It was just another day," Beca stated with a shrug. _

_ Chloe frowned. Okay, did you get anything awesome?"_

_ Beca chuckled at the question. "New headphones and a lot of cash two weeks later when my parents finally remembered. They've never forgotten before. They've just been busy lately. When's your birthday?"_

_ "Oh you'll know when it's near. Trust me. But back to you. We're going to celebrate your next birthday together. It's going to be awesome and I have a year to plan it."_

_ "Chloe," Beca began._

_ "Shut it, Becs. It's happening. I've decided."_

_ "You're-, "_

_ "Awesome. I know," Chloe smiled._

_ "I was going to say crazy," Beca grinned. _

_ "Crazy awesome." Chloe stood up. "Come on. We should head back."_

_ "Let's stay a bit longer." Beca patted the space beside her, causing Chloe to happily return to her spot beside Beca._

* * *

Chloe woke up in Beca's bed and quickly replayed her dream in her head. She smiled when she realized that her dream was actually her remembering a past memory. She turned in bed to reach out for her girlfriend and frowned when she was met with empty space. The redhead got out of bed and went through Beca's drawer to find shorts and a shirt to cover her naked form. Once clothed, she headed downstairs in search of the music producer. It didn't take long. The faded light coming from the living room guided her to Beca.

Beca looked up from the notebook she was writing in when she spotted movement from the corner of her eye and smiled when she saw Chloe. "Hey what are you doing up?"

"You weren't in bed." Chloe moved onto the couch. "Thanks again for today. My parents adored you. I was really worried things wouldn't go well."

Beca quirked a brow. "Really? You seemed so calm."

"I was faking it. I wasn't totally convinced something wouldn't go wrong until you made a joke that had my dad nearly choke on his food from laughter."

Beca grinned. "I'm pretty awesome. And you should've told me you were worried."

"You were seconds away from a mild heart attack," Chloe pointed out. "One of us had to keep it together."

"I wasn't that bad," Beca said.

Chloe gestured to the notebook that was currently on Beca's lap. "I didn't know you still did that."

Beca looked down at the notebook. "Yeah, I've accumulated quite a few notebooks. "

Chloe moved closer to Beca. "Have you ever let someone sing the songs you write?"

"No, I... I used to think there wasn't anyone who could do them justice. These aren't just words. These are my feelings... all kinds of emotions ranging from happy to sad to angry. I don't want just anyone singing them and I like it too much behind the scenes to sing them myself."

"You said you used to think there wasn't anyone who could do them justice," Chloe pointed out. "Have you changed your mind?"

Beca ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah, um... it definitely doesn't have to be on your current album, but I was hoping that maybe you could sing my songs. I'd totally understand if you didn't want to. You're just the only one I can see doing them justice."

Chloe beamed at how cute Beca was being. She leaned forward and kissed the brunette on the cheek. "Of course I'll sing them. I need two more songs to finish up my album so we can choose two of yours. I'm sure you have a lot that will fit in perfectly."

Beca smiled. "Are you sure? You don't have to feel obligated to sing them."

"I don't feel that way. I want to sing them. I'm actually really honored that you're asking me. I can't wait to read everything you've written."

"Well you'll have to." Beca put her notebook on the coffee table and stood up. "Come on. It's late. Let's get back to bed."

Chloe stood up with Beca, following her back upstairs. "Hey, I have a release date I'd really like us to be able to make."

Beca entered her room with Chloe. "Yeah? When?"

"April twenty-sixth." Chloe smiled when Beca stopped walking and turned around to face her.

"My birthday?" Beca asked.

Chloe nodded. "I know we have to talk to the label and everything but I _really _want it to be that day. I might even go diva about it if I don't get my way."

Beca smiled. "Why my birthday and who told you when it was?"

"Because this album is about you and you've worked so hard with me on it. It's the perfect day to have it released. And you told me."

"I did?" Beca tried to remember when she had divulged that information.

"Yeah, twelve years ago," Chloe replied. "I remember."

Beca grinned. "You remembered that on your own?"

Chloe nodded, excitedly. "I think I pretty much remember everything about my summer with you... except the Allison thing."

"The Allison thing isn't important." Beca kissed Chloe. "I love you."

"I love you too." Chloe cuddled into Beca. "

* * *

**Five months later...**

Chloe awoke in bed to the sound of her phone vibrating on the nightstand and smiled at the feeling of Beca curled up next to her. She gently pulled herself from her girlfriend in order to turn around and grab her phone. "Hey, Bree."

"Hey, I'm trying to work out the kinks for tomorrow. Who's keeping Beca busy while Jesse and Amy set things up?"

"You are." Chloe glanced at Beca who was still fast asleep. "I'll tell her you want to bond or something."

"And who's picking up the cake?"

"That would be me."

"Okay, then we're all set. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night." Chloe ended the call and put the phone back on the nightstand. She turned around, propping herself up on her elbow and watched Beca as she slept. She still couldn't believe how lucky she had gotten in finding the woman again after so long. She brought her hand up to trace her fingers along Beca's jaw.

A smile appeared on Beca as her eyes remained closed. "What are you doing?"

"Admiring you while you sleep so hush," Chloe grinned.

Beca's eyes opened and she leaned forward to kiss her girlfriend. "You need to sleep. You have interviews and performances practically all day tomorrow."

"And what will you be doing tomorrow?" Chloe asked.

"Watching you be amazing," Beca answered.

Chloe still couldn't believe Beca hadn't mentioned that her birthday was tomorrow. She was starting to think the brunette forgot about it being so busy with making sure the album would be done on time and then becoming invested in making sure the label wasn't pushing her to do too much and making her unhappy like her last record label. Chloe moved so that she was on top of Beca. "I love you. You take amazing care of me."

Beca smiled. "That's because I love you."

"Well I want you to relax tomorrow. Aubrey wants to spend some time with you. Bonding or whatever."

"We bond all the time. Tomorrow's an important day for you. I thought you'd want me around." Beca began to sit up but Chloe simply straddled her thighs, not allowing her to move.

"I do want you around," Chloe assured her.

"Then why are you trying to pawn me off on your best friend?"

"Because you've worked your ass off for months and I want you to relax. You are spending the day with Aubrey. It would make me happy." Chloe knew that was a low blow. Beca would do anything to please her and she was using that to her advantage but she wanted the party for her girlfriend to be a surprise.

"Fine. I'll spend time with Aubrey. Now get to bed. You have a long day tomorrow."

"I'm too wired. I can't sleep."

Beca grinned. "Well come here then. I'll make you tired."

Chloe laughed lightly as she leaned down, allowing her lips to connect with Beca's.

* * *

The following night, Beca was sitting with Aubrey in the living room watching a movie the blonde had told her she had to watch because she had been dying to see it.

Beca was grateful that it was at least a family drama and not a romance comedy. And from what she had seen so far, this movie had nothing on the drama that she had experienced in real life.

"You make Chloe really happy." Aubrey turned her head to look at Beca. "You know that, right?"

Beca smiled at the blonde's statement. "She makes me just as happy. Thanks for being there for her all those years ago when I couldn't be. You're an amazing best friend to her."

Aubrey checked the time and saw that she needed to get Beca out of the house and to where her surprise birthday party was being thrown. "Now that we've got all that out of the way, let's get going." Aubrey stood up and turned off the TV.

Beca frowned at the sudden changed in plans. "I thought we were watching a movie."

"And now we're going out," Aubrey stated matter-of-factly. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Beca asked as she stood up.

"I'm hungry," Aubrey replied.

"You just ate," Beca pointed out.

Aubrey turned to face the girl, folding her arms across her chest. "What are you trying to say?"

Beca's eyes widened. "Um, nothing. Nothing. I just... nothing. Lead the way."

Aubrey smiled and turned back around. This was going to be easier than she thought. Her father taught her intimidation well.

* * *

Beca looked out the passenger's window and saw that Aubrey was driving towards Chloe's place. "What are we doing here?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Aubrey asked as she got out of the car.

Beca rolled her eyes and followed the blonde. "Seriously, what are we doing?"

"I forgot something here the other day and I want to get it. Is that okay with you?" Aubrey asked.

"Dude, chill." Beca held up her hands in surrender. "Go get whatever you need to get."

"Come with me," Aubrey said. "If you stand out here people might think you're a fan-girl."

Beca sighed and walked up to the front door with Aubrey. "This is the last time I hangout with you. We left for food and you didn't even get that."

"It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind." Aubrey opened the front door and stepped inside.

"Well flip a light on," Beca said as the blonde closed the door, leaving them enveloped in darkness.

Aubrey turned the light on and Beca's eyes widened when she was met with shouts of "surprise" and her friends and girlfriend smiling at her.

"Happy birthday, babe!" Chloe exclaimed as she made her way over to the brunette.

"My birthday?" Beca frowned but then her eyebrows raised a second later in realization. "Oh my god, it's my birthday."

"That's right." Chloe kissed Beca gently. "You've been so caught up in everything else that you forgot. I figured I'd take the opportunity to surprise you."

"Don't you have a performance tonight?" Beca asked.

"I turned it down so I could work on setting up your party with Jesse and Amy. I hope you don't mind. I know you hate celebrating your birthday."

"No, this is great. You're great." Beca kissed Chloe and suddenly felt herself being pulled away from the redhead.

"You two can make-out later," Aubrey said in amusement. "Beca you have a candles to blow out."

Beca turned around and saw her mother walking out of the living room with a cake. "Mom!"

"Hey, sweetheart!" Beca's mom replied. "Happy birthday!"

"How-," Beca began before her mom cut her off.

"Chloe flew me out here. She's such an angel. Don't mess things up with her."

Beca smiled and glanced at the redhead. "I won't, Mom. No worries." Beca moved towards the cake and everyone began to sing happy birthday. Once they were done, Beca blew out the candles.

Jesse approached the brunette. "What'd you wish for?"

"Nothing," Beca replied.

Jesse grinned. "Are you having a cheesy moment? Are you going to say you have everything that you already want?"

Beca rolled her eyes. "I hate you."

Jesse laughed. "Hey, I'm happy for you. You and Chloe are great together."

"Yeah," Amy jumped in as she moved to stand by them. "And I'm sure you two will continue to make great music together if you know what I mean."

Beca blushed. "Amy my Mom's right here."

"Like I don't know you're sexually active," Beca's Mom said.

"Oh god," Beca's face turned even more red.

Chloe took Beca by the hand. "I'll be right back with the birthday girl." She pulled Beca outside with her and gave her the passionate kiss she had wanted to give her when she first entered the house.

"Mmm." Beca pulled away from the kiss once oxygen became an issue. "We could totally ditch this party and go back to my place."

"No, way more people are coming," Chloe said. "I just wanted it to be your closest friends at first in case you didn't take a surprise party too well."

Beca laughed. "How many more people?"

"Luke, your dad, Cynthia Rose, Stacie and other pop stars I deemed worthy like Kesha. I know how much you love her."

"Please tell me you're joking," Beca said with a quirked eyebrow.

Chloe shrugged. "I guess you'll find out later."

"And how'd you get my parents to agree to be in the same room?" Beca asked. "They can't stand each other."

"But they both love you." Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca's neck and kissed her. "Ready for your birthday present?"

"You didn't have to get me anything," Beca assured her.

Chloe took Beca by the hand and pulled her behind her house where her eyes fell upon a tire swing hanging from a tree.

Beca laughed at the sight of it. "You didn't get me to swing on one twelve years ago so what makes you think I'll get on this now?"

"It's sturdy," Chloe promised. "Go sit on it."

Not wanting to disappoint her girlfriend, Beca moved over to the swing. "You're lucky you're so cute and I'm tiny enough to fit on this."

Chloe pulled out her phone and flashed a picture of her girlfriend on the swing. "You're so cute."

"I swear if that's ever in a magazine, I'll never have sex with you again," Beca warned.

"Don't make threats that I know you can't uphold," Chloe winked. "I have something else for you."

"I think I'm good with this swing," Beca assured her.

"I remember why Allison gave back the note and left you alone," Chloe said.

* * *

_Chloe entered the bunk that Allison slept in and saw that the girl was alone. "Hey, Allison."_

_ Allison turned around and smiled condescendingly when she saw Chloe. "Hey, Chloe. Where's your loser friend?"_

_ Chloe stopped once she was in front of Allison. "I'm going to need you to stop being mean to Beca," Chloe glared at the girl. "And you have something that belongs to her. I'd like it back."_

_ "No, I think I'll hang on to it and you can't tell me what to do. You should go," Allison said, smugly. _

_ "Listen, Allison. I'm sick of your crap. A lot of the girls are."_

_ "Really because no one ever says anything to me," Allison folded her arms across her chest. _

_ "Well I'm saying something to you now," Chloe said, threateningly. "Back off of Beca or you will regret it."_

_ Allison smirked. "Am I supposed to be afraid of you?"_

_ Chloe took a step towards Allison, anger written all over her face. The other girl's smile fell as she took a step back. "Please don't test me. I'd hate to have to get kicked out of camp for what I'll do to you if you don't leave my friend alone." Chloe held out her hand. "Now, you took something from Beca..."_

_ Allison reached into her pocket and handed Chloe the folded pieces of papers. _

_ Chloe took a step back away from Allison and smiled. "Great. Thanks, and I'd appreciate it if you could apologize to Beca. Think you can manage that?"_

_ Allison nodded with wide eyes at Chloe's change of demeanor. _

_ "Perfect. And remember, if I even think you're bad mouthing Beca, I'll destroy you," Chloe said, cheerily. "See you at the campfire tonight." Chloe left the bunk confident that Allison would no longer be bothering Beca. _

* * *

Beca laughed at the memory. "You scared the shit out of her."

Chloe grinned. "I was just protecting my best friend."

"I'm sure your best friend appreciated it a lot." Beca moved off of the tire.

"She better have." Chloe pulled Beca to her and started a heated kiss that left them both craving more.

"Will you two get in this house!" Aubrey yelled from a few feet away.

Chloe turned her head and smiled at her best friend. "One second." She looked back at Beca. "I have one more present for you after the party."

"Yeah? What is it?" Beca asked.

"It's under this outfit," Chloe winked at her before going to catch up with Aubrey.

Beca laughed to herself and shook her head. She had an amazing girlfriend and was grateful that they had been given a second chance together. She would definitely be making it count by enjoying every second she could with Chloe.

**THE END**

* * *

A/N: I suck at endings. I'm sorry. There will more than likely be a sequel eventually.


End file.
